Hope to see you soon
Iris Kensmil
To brighten up the construction site surrounding the Wijdeveld residential area, artist Iris Kensmil (1970) transformed the drab and rather cheerless scaffolding. In the depths of winder, she brings a splash of warmth and sun to the Baarsjes with a huge canvas in ochre yellow, warm red and deep brown tones. The work is a fond memory of a house she lived in as a child in Paramaribo. The painting expresses Kensmil’s homesickness for Suriname, the country she grew up in. Literally. Among the colour fields she painted the words ‘Hope to see you soon’. Dreaming of faraway homelands is a familiar feeling to many people in the local community. At the same time, the art work strikes an optimistic note.
Kensmil’s oeuvre seeks to explore black people’s struggle for emancipation, and iconic figures who helped shaped this history, such as Martin Luther King and Barack Obama. In engaging with these historic events and movements, Kensmil thickly painted figures and scenes are characteristically accompanied by words.
Client: De Key-Principaal/W139
Title: ‘Hope to see you soon’
Dimensions: 8x8 m.
Location: Hoofdweg-Jan van Galenstraat