Presentation artists’ book : ‘Stuart Robles de Medina: Pengel’ by Xavier Robles de Medina

Presentation artists’ book : ‘Stuart Robles de Medina: Pengel’ by Xavier Robles de Medina

11/07/2024 - 27/07/2024

Dear friends and art lovers,

Mark your calendars for a special book presentation in Readytex Art Gallery that you don’t want to miss. On Thursday, July 11, visual artist and writer Xavier Robles de Medina will present his artists’ book: ‘Stuart Robles de Medina: Pengel’. In this unique book, Xavier uses extensive photographic and archival material as well as texts based on various interviews, to document the construction process of the iconic statue on Paramaribo’s Independence Square. The book also outlines a broader political story around the period preceding Suriname’s independence.

Xavier’s in-depth research was inspired by a photo album that depicts the creation of the three-and-a-half-meter-high bronze statue of the Surinamese politician Johan Adolf Pengel, by the Surinamese visual artist Stuart Robles de Medina. According to Xavier, who is a grandson of Stuart Robles de Medina, this album played a crucial role in his early artistic development and in his pursuit of art as a profession: “It provided insight into the possibilities and intricacies of artmaking as a child growing up in Suriname in the nineties. The scale and the technical innovations of the work, fueled by the determination, stamina, and political engagement of my grandparents, inspired me, and continues to inspire me to this day.”

As a visual artist, Xavier collects and arranges images and texts from digital and physical sources, thus laying the foundation for his mathematically mapped out works in which poetry and politics merge. This deeply personal research and the beautiful artists’ book, or work of art rather, in which it has resulted, is interesting on several levels. According to Xavier: “The myriad meanings of this family story have shifted in personal significance over time, but the through-line is something elemental to the story of Surinamese democracy, and the union of art and political activism.

The book, which is a numbered artists’ book, was previously presented by Xavier in Germany where he currently lives and works, during his solo exhibition ‘Love is not a Maybe Thing…’ earlier this year at gallery Efremidis, Berlin.

The artists’ book ‘Stuart Robles de Medina: Pengel’ (coy koi books, 2024) is also at the heart of the group exhibition ‘NON-FICTIE’ that Xavier Robles de Medina is curating at Readytex Art Gallery to accompany the presentation of his book. The presentation takes place on July 11, at 7:30 pm. The exhibition ‘NON-FICTIE’ is on display from Friday, July 12, until Saturday, July 27, during the regular open hours of the gallery, from Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm.

We look forward to welcoming you and your guests!

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