16 august 2024, Flor Linckens
Interview with Kevin Osepa: ”Art can be a form of healing, as people can see a piece of themselves reflected in it."
At Unseen (19-22 September), Stieglitz 19 from Antwerp and Brussels will present the work of Kevin Osepa, a versatile artist who utilises a variety of media including film, installation and photography. Central to his practice is a sense of belonging, but his layered works also delve into themes like sexuality, masculinity, social justice, Afro-Caribbean culture and diaspora, (post)colonialism and (Afro)spirituality. He draws inspiration from the magical worldview of his birth island for instance, but he is also inspired by societal blind spots and one-dimensional representations.
Kevin Osepa was born in 1994 in Willemstad, Curaçao and studied Photography at the HKU art academy in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His works are inspired by his own experiences and childhood, as well as rituals, mystique and stories from the older generations of the Dutch Antilles. Often starting with a small idea or story, he expands it into a shared experience aimed at collective healing and a deeper understanding of his own identity. The resulting works are intensely personal yet they also explore broader societal implications.
Osepa explains, "My work takes on different forms over time. Initially, my inspiration often came from things my mother would say or teach me, such as the use of 'blueing' (laundry detergent) against the evil eye. I began to see it more as a language and realised it was also my mother’s way of expressing love. Nowadays, my inspiration is less literal, leaving more room for intuition. Sometimes I dream about calabashes and reflect on how little we hear about our history on our island. A lecture by Richenel Ansano [a Curaçaoan anthropologist and healer] deeply moved me. He spoke of a legend where enslaved people, upon arrival on the island, would fly back to Africa, using a calabash to whisper their life story. To me, it’s fascinating that my dream intertwines with an existing legend. This resonated with my own intuitive approach. I really make space for these small dreams and ideas in my work.”
In his practice, Osepa analyses his own experiences in the Netherlands, where he resides, and in Curaçao, where he spends several months each year. This allows him to constantly view the places that are both home — and both not quite home — with a fresh perspective. In the Netherlands, he tends to be more aware of the colour of his skin, while in Curaçao, he is more conscious of his queer identity, within a context that is marked by heteronormativity. This duality plays a significant role in his work, as both elements are essential parts of his identity. In a sense, his art offers him one of the only spaces that accommodates all facets of his identity.
Kevin Osepa, Ser’i bientu, circa 2019
Osepa reflects, "My intersectional existence is increasingly taking a clear position within my work. Stories from the past and my queer identity are inseparable from my work. These crossovers are becoming more significant. Ultimately, both society and I are evolving: society is changing, and I am evolving with it."
Osepa's works are visually stunning, characterised by careful compositions and the use of symbolism and codes, allowing each viewer to interpret his work in a different way and depth, depending on their perspective and cultural capital. Osepa: "I often incorporate symbols in my work that resonate with people from the Afro-Caribbean community. I abstract it and place it in a new context. I use these symbols as a means to communicate in a more intuitive way than literature, for example, can. The highest compliment for me is when someone from the island, without any background in art, says they feel something when they look at my work. That way, art can be a form of healing, because people can see a part of themselves reflected in it."
Sometimes, the works also physically originate from both locations. In those cases, he might print the works on fabric in the Netherlands, before exposing them to certain rituals in nature in Curaçao. Although the art of Osepa is marked by layers, symbolism and intersectionality, it is occasionally subject to a somewhat narrow interpretation. Osepa notes, "Within visual art and the diaspora, my work is often viewed through a colonial lens, whereas it encompasses much more. People don't always realise, but it’s sort of inevitable that research by people from the diaspora inevitably leads back to the colonial past. It always circles back. Even when, for example, I study the calabash, I encounter aspects of that history. It is a troubled history that you have to contend with. But within this past, there are many nuances. Yet, I want to unlock for the viewer that my work isn't specifically about that. For instance, my film 'La Ultima Ascension' is about processes of mourning, where communication isn't always verbal but takes on other forms. Although colonial history plays a role in that, such as in contexts of violence, the essence of the work is primarily about mourning."
Throughout his career, Osepa has received multiple accolades. In 2022, he won the Golden Calf for Best Short Film at the Netherlands Film Festival for his film "La Ultima Ascension". He was nominated for the Volkskrant Visual Art Prize in 2018, and in 2023, he received both the Charlotte Köhler Prize and the Amsterdam Prize for the Arts. His work has been included in various prominent collections: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, ING bank and the Dutch National Art Collection. In the summer of 2023, he was also invited by Buro Stedelijk to temporarily move his studio to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, allowing visitors to become part of his artistic process.
Kevin Osepa, shadowshow
