Eugenie Boon
LUMCDiversity
Eugenie Boon was born in Willemstad in 1995. In her work, she reflects on her childhood in Curaçao and on the island’s historical relationship with the Netherlands.
She works across multiple disciplines, using performance, installation, and video in addition to painting. Recurring themes in her work include colonialism, gender roles, socioeconomic inequality, religion, and stereotyping. Personal experience and social inquiry intertwine in her practice, inviting viewers to question their own position.
…Eugenie Boon was born in Willemstad in 1995. In her work, she reflects on her childhood in Curaçao and on the island’s historical relationship with the Netherlands.
She works across multiple disciplines, using performance, installation, and video in addition to painting. Recurring themes in her work include colonialism, gender roles, socioeconomic inequality, religion, and stereotyping. Personal experience and social inquiry intertwine in her practice, inviting viewers to question their own position.
The boy with the sakudí in this painting was depicted during the harvest festival. The painting celebrates life on the island and shows the transmission of culture between generations.
The title is in Papiamentu, and the celebration depicted is that of the harvest.
Boon portrays Curaçao not only as a place with a complex and often painful history, but also as a place of music and togetherness.
Diversity is about the injustices we seek to redress, but equally about what people bring with them in terms of language and rhythm.
Those who look only at what is missing, see only half the picture.
About the work
In her paintings, Eugenie Boon (1995) reflects on her childhood and upbringing in Curaçao and on the island's historical relationship with the Netherlands. Her colorful paintings seem to be simple representations of daily life on the ABC islands but are symbolic of the cultural and institutional structures on site.
The man in this painting or boy with the drum (sakudi) was painted during the harvest festival. By cutting off a part of the scene, she emphasizes the action or detail she wants to capture. Celebrating the culture of her native country can also be seen in this painting.
Oil on canvas, 50 x 70 cm, 2024