Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen
When I first saw Van Haver’s paintings I was overwhelmed with a sense of pride in the Bijlmer. Her narrative and figurative style deeply impressed me, as did her choice of subjects reflecting empathy for people in marginal communities—in the Bijlmer and beyond, in the urban ghettos of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It was right there and then, in Van Haver’s Bijlmer studio in 2016, that I was struck by the idea of inviting her for an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum.