Spirits of the Soil
Stedelijk Museum | Amsterdam | The Netherlands
Exhibition: 25 November 2018 – 7 April 2019
Curated by: Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen
In Spirits of the Soil, Raquel van Haver presented a powerful ensemble of monumental paintings at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The museum dedicated six full galleries to the exhibition, marking Van Haver’s first solo museum show in Amsterdam.
Created especially for this presentation, the new series was inspired by photographs the artist took during her time in Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Lagos, Nigeria, along with her research into visual and material resemblances across the African diaspora. The works combine elements of street life, personal encounters, and global influences, focusing on diverse communities worldwide.
Through rich textures and layered materials, Van Haver constructs complex visual worlds that explore themes of identity, resilience, and urban community. Her raw, narrative, and figurative painting style challenges the Euro-American art canon. Her imagery draws from artistic traditions outside the West, allowing her to tell ‘other’ stories.
While the format of her canvases echoes traditional history painting, Van Haver’s compositions do not depict the exploits of Western heroes. Instead, they center the spirits of the soil—figures rooted in the lived experiences and histories of colonialism, imperialism, migration, and diaspora.
— Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen, exhibition curator & director of De Pont Museum, Tilburg, The Netherlands
