Tracing the Line

The work of visual artist Remy Jungerman (Suriname, 1959), deemed by Amsterdam’sStedelijk Museum to be one of the most prominent Dutch contemporary artists, traces motifs and patterns rooted in African and Surinamese Maroon cultures, the Afro-Surinamese religion Winti, and the visual idiom of European modernism of the twentieth century. By bringing these influences together and putting them in touch with the present, Jungerman explores historical paths and cultural patterns.

Jungerman came under the global spotlight in 2019, when he was selected to represent the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale, where he exhibited his spatial installation “Visiting Deities”, presented together with the work of Iris Kensmil. Soon afterwards, numerous solo exhibitions were organized in museums and galleries, including a major survey of his work at the AmsterdamStedelijk (2021-2022), as well as international awards and accolades, among which the most prestigious is the “Dr A. H. Heineken” prize for art, which is the highest recognition bestowed on Dutch visual artists, presented to Jungerman in 2022.

HisBelgrade exhibition at the DOTS Gallery presents works created over the last sixteen years – the oldest exhibited piece is the screen print “Captain Broos”from 2007, while the most recent are the series of works “Pimba AGIDA” and“Pimba BEEFI” from 2022. The works in this exhibition comprise various artistic media, from sculpture and wall and spatial installations, collage, panels and video art. The most recognizable of Jungerman’s work might be his wall installations that are based on the grid (“Orgade”, 2008; “Wise Words”, 2010; “Rite of Passage”, 2013).

One of the pivotal pieces presented at the Belgrade exhibition is the video“Broos”, comprised of photographs and short excerpts of films taken during rituals performed by descendants of the Bakabusi Maroon community, which the artist – through his mother’s side – also originates from. The video is named after Jungerman’s ancestor Broos, who was a chieftain and freedom fighter, whose photograph appears in a rhythmical sequence of short black and white fragments, which are additionally emphasized by the musical score “Follow theLight“ by the American jazz composer and musician Jason Moran.

The exhibition has been supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands inBelgrade, Levi9 Technology Services and Heineken Serbia.