Patricia Kaersenhout

Patricia Kaersenhout is a visual artist, cultural activist and womanist, born in the Netherlands but a descendant from Surinamese parents. Kaersenhout developed an artistic journey in which she investigates the meaning of invisibility as a consequence of the African Diaspora and colonialism in relation to her upbringing in a West European culture. The political thread in her work raises questions about the African Diaspora movements and it’s relation to feminism, sexuality, racism and the history of slavery. In 2009 she participated in Wakaman, an exchange project between artists from Surinamese origin living in Suriname and Western Europe, which resulted in a publication and an exhibition in Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo. Her first solo publication; Invisible Men containing 42 works on paper inspired by Ralph Ellison’s book Invisible Man, was released in June 2009.

Since then her work has been presented at the biennials of Venice, Beijing, Australia and Dakar. She participated in shows in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paramaribo, New York, Washington DC, London, Paris, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Tokyo, Dakar and Copenhagen. In 2010 she worked on a short film about the Dutch national anthem in a residency of the Netherlands foundation for visual arts, design and architecture. The film was selected for the Trinidad and Tobago film festival 2012. In 2011/2012 she had a solo show in C&H ArtSpace in Amsterdam. Followed up by two shows in New York. Together with artist Jeannette Ehlers she was commissioned for the opening film of the Black Magic Woman Festival 2012. The film is shown in several festivals worldwide. Cinema Zuid commissioned her to develop a short film about the political meaning of skin color, which had it’s premiere in EYE, Amsterdam. In 2013 the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam commissioned her to give an artistic reaction to the show Black & White. She invited artist Jimini Hignett and together they developed an installation Handle with Care, which comments on forced prostitution. Together with Dr. Temi Odemosu she initiated the show Possession about the black female body with the participation of 12 female artists of color. The show opened June 2014 in Copenhagen. Currently she is working on Wonder Women, a project about the first black feminist wave in the eighties in Amsterdam. The Mondriaan fund commissioned her for Blueprints for forgotten souls a research project about one of her ancestors who is buried in De Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.

For more information see: www.pkaersenhout.com