Slavery

In this exhibition, we focus for the first time on slavery in the Dutch colonial period. This era spanning 250 years is an integral part of the history of the Netherlands. It was a time when people were reduced to property, to objects, to items in the accounts. The exhibition tells ten true stories from people who were involved in slavery in one way or the other. Ten personal stories about people who were enslaved, and people who kept slaves; about people who resisted, and people who were brought in slavery to the Netherlands. What were their lives like? How did they relate to the system of slavery? Were they able to make their own choices?

OBJECTS AND AUDIO STORIES

This exhibition showcases items from Dutch and foreign museums, from archives and from private collections. And while you’re viewing the objects, paintings and archival documents, you’ll also hear oral sources, poems and music. The audio stories have been voiced by speakers who are connected, through their personal history, to one of the ten people featured in this exhibition.

To tell a story that is more complete than ever before, Slavery presents objects that have never been displayed in the Rijksmuseum before. They include items that were cherished by enslaved individuals, and tools used on plantations.

FOUR CONTINENTS

The exhibition spans the Dutch colonial period from the 17th to the 19th century. It covers trans-Atlantic slavery in Suriname, Brazil and the Caribbean, and the part played in it by the Dutch West India Company (WIC), as well as Dutch colonial slavery in South Africa and Asia, where the Dutch East India Company (VOC) operated. We also highlight the effects of the system in the Netherlands in this time. As a whole it offers a a geographically broad and at the same time specifically Dutch view which has never been seen before in a national museum.

Look at me now

Once you have seen the exhibition, artists David Bade and Tirzo Martha from Instituto Buena Bista in Curaçao will invite you to help create ten new works of art based on the stories from the exhibition. This is called Look at me now.

RIJKSMUSEUM & SLAVERY

Beyond the exhibition itself, Rijksmuseum & Slavery is adding 77 museum labels to paintings and objects in the permanent collection, to highlight and explore hidden links to slavery.

ACCOMPANYING BOOK

The Rijksmuseum and Atlas Contact Publishers are jointly publishing Slavery, a richly illustrated book describing the lives of ten people who were part of the Dutch colonial history of enslavement. Authors: Eveline Sint Nicolaas, Valika Smeulders, and others.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME

The history of Dutch slavery and the personal stories in the exhibition form part of an educational programme that ties in with primary, secondary and vocational curriculums. We have developed this programme in cooperation with ThiemeMeulenhoff publishers. We are also developing a play especially for schools, with Buhnebiest theatre company.

EXHIBITION DESIGN

The exhibition design is by AFARAI, the agency led by architect Afaina de Jong.

COLLABORATIONS

The exhibition and the accompanying events and activities are the outcome of collaborations with a wide variety of experts from outside the museum, including historians, heritage experts, cultural entrepreneurs, artists, theatre practitioners and performers.

The experts from the museum working on the exhibition can be found here.

THANKS

The Slavery exhibition is made possible in part by the Mondriaan Fund, Blockbuster Fund, Fonds 21, DutchCulture, Democracy & Media Foundation, Stichting Thurkowfonds, Boomerang Agency and via the Rijksmuseum Fonds: Scato Gockinga Fonds, Fonds de Zuidroute, Zusjes Nieuwbeerta Fonds, Fonds Dirk Jan van Orden, Henry M. Holterman Fonds and Bestuursfonds Hollandse Meesters.