Rijksmuseum travelling poster exhibition

During the summer of 2021, the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands’ national museum of art and history, staged its first-ever major exhibition devoted to the subject of slavery. In this landmark exhibition, the Rijksmuseum focused on slavery in the Dutch colonial period, from the 17th to the 19th century, in Brazil, Suriname and the Caribbean, as well as in South Africa, parts of Asia and the Netherlands itself. This era spanning 250 years is an integral part of the history of the Netherlands and has profound effects on society today. It was a time when the status of individuals was reduced to that of property, objects, and items in the accounts.

The Slavery exhibition was and remains of international significance: the impact of past colonial slavery echoes on in the present – in society, and in global relations. There is limited consensus on how we should look back at this period, but what we can do is to make human experiences tangible by presenting personal stories that show multiple perspectives and situating them alongside impactful objects that are rarely displayed in national museums. At the Rijksmuseum in 2021, these exhibits included wooden foot stocks designed to constrain multiple enslaved people, beads that were cherished by people in slavery, and tools that were used on the plantations, as well as songs and other oral historical sources. The exhibition offers a powerful and critical overview of slavery, freedom, and the significance of the colonial past in our present.

Universal platform

In sharing these stories, the exhibition serves as a bridge to a future of universal recognition, reflection and meaning. This was why the United Nations (UN) chose to offer this exhibition to the public at an accessible venue, free of charge at its Headquarters in New York City. For the conclusion of the exhibition on 30 March, the Rijksmuseum organized a keynote discussion about 'museums and the colonial past' with experts from the United States, the Caribbeans and Europe, hosted by the UN in the ECOSOC Chamber at the UN. Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson gave a powerful keynote speech.

Poster exhibition available for display at the UN offices and embassies

The Rijksmuseum is offering a special version of the Slavery. Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery exhibition consisting of 14 posters that can be downloaded and printed at your preferred size on the material of your choice. The 14 posters comprise of 10 personal stories, 3 introductory posters and 1 world map. Each poster includes a QR code linking visitors to the Rijksmuseum website, where they can listen to the audio stories, oral sources, poems and music that accompany the exhibition and where they can get a 360 view of the rooms and objects from the original exhibition. The audio stories are voiced by living descendants who are connected through their personal history to one of the ten people featured in this exhibition. All interested parties are welcome to add an object, story or song to the poster exhibition that relates to these past events in their respective country. For this purpose, an open InDesign file can be shared as well upon request.

Curators

The exhibition is the outcome of collaborations between the Rijksmuseum and a wide variety of outside experts. They include historians, heritage experts, cultural entrepreneurs, artists, theatre practitioners and performers. Information on the Rijksmuseum experts who worked on the exhibition can be found here. They are happy to give a talk at your organisation.

Book

The Rijksmuseum and Atlas Contact Publishers have jointly published Slavery, a richly illustrated book exploring the lives of ten people who were part of the Dutch colonial history of enslavement. The book’s authors include curators Eveline Sint Nicolaas and Valika Smeulders. The English edition of the book is available at the Rijksmuseum Online Shop.

Documentary | New Light, The Rijksmuseum and slavery

What happens when the Netherlands’ leading national museum focuses its gaze on the slavery history of the country? This is the subject of New Light, a highly topical documentary from director Ida Does about the genesis of the Slavery exhibition at the Rijksmuseum. This award-winning film gets up close and personal to reveal how curating and creating this exhibition was by turns painful and bitter, and healing and liberating. View the English trailer here. The film is available with English or Spanish subtitles. For more information and screening possibilities please click here.

Thanks

Slavery. Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery (Rijksmuseum for UN NY Feb-March 2023) is developed in collaboration with the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN, the Dutch diplomatic mission in the United States, and the International Circle of the Rijksmuseum Fund.

The exhibition Slavery (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam May-Aug 2021) 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.

All venues of the Slavery exhibition are designed by Afaina de Jong at AFARAI agency and Irma Boom at Irma Boom Office, Amsterdam.

Contact

More info and free download of the poster exhibition

Yakunu van Santen
Manager public affairs
y.van.Santen@rijksmuseum.nl