Melissa Cijntje

Melissa Cijntje

Artist Statement

What does it mean to be prideful or to have pride in where you come from? Do you learn it or are you born with it? Of course, the literal meaning of having pride is to have that feeling of love, devotion and a sense of attachment to a homeland. For example to have that connection with other citizens who share the same sentiment.

Identity and pride in where I come from have been playing a bigger and bigger role in my creative process. I always thought that it would be cliche to make works about Curaçao because that was what was expected of me. However the more I thought about it I came to realise that I didn’t know much about Curaçao in the first place, so how could it be possible for me to create something impactful? Something worthwhile? Or something that spoke to others? 

With my works I would like to do extensive research on the topic of Curaçao. That being the people and their costumes. The community in general. I want to learn every aspect of the place I came from and share that information with others that might have the same background as me. Not in a way to educate them but more as an appreciation for a place that is often overlooked.

Prideful, that’s what I want my fellow Yu di Kòrsou to feel when they look at my works.

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