Image Alt

CARLOS BLAAKER

CARLOS BLAAKER, extraordinary artist with engagement and style.

Carlos Henny Blaaker: another Surinamese visual artist with exceptional talents. 

A painter and sculptor who added 3 dimensional paintings to his repertoire. Maybe not as well known in Suriname as he should be, for the great artist he is, because he already lives and works abroad for many years.

First a little on his back ground. Born in 1961 in Paramaribo Carlos attended the AHKCO (Academy for Higher Arts and Cultural Studies ) in Paramaribo and then continued at the Arts Students League in New York. 

For a few years, from 1987 until 1989, he teached art at the Nola Hatterman Institute in Paramaribo and then moved to Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 1990. In the Netherlands Carlos held exhibitions every year up and until 2009. 

In 2009 he then moved to Curaçao where he paints and makes sculptures inspired by his surroundings, the community he is part of and his social engagement.

On his website and in the book titled “De kracht van kwetsbaarheid” meaning the strength of vulnerability, published in 2018 , Ingrid Braam and Roel Hijink wrote about Carlos Blaaker and give an in depth insight in his work and his inspiration. They describe and analyse some of his work and make a comparison to the American artist George Segal.

His work is unique and beautiful. But indeed it is the inspiration for his work, the motivation and the social engagement that add even more value to the sculptures and really give it an extra dimension.

Women are often the object and inspiration for Carlos. In many societies in the Caribbean they take care of their childrens upbringing, and mostly they do a difficult but wonderfull job. On the island of Curaçao he finds lots of examples in Punda and Otrobanda, parts of the capital Willemstad.

Women with parts of melon on their heads, juggling with little means to get by and support their family! Blaaker shows women in the many forms that he sees, always with a strong character and proud. Both in his paintings and in his sculptures you see the admiration for these strong women appear.

Women are often the object and inspiration for Carlos. In many societies in the Caribbean they take care of their childrens upbringing, and mostly they do a difficult but wonderfull job. On the island of Curaçao he finds lots of examples in Punda and Otrobanda, parts of the capital Willemstad.

Women with parts of melon on their heads, juggling with little means to get by and support their family! Blaaker shows women in the many forms that he sees, always with a strong character and proud. Both in his paintings and in his sculptures you see the admiration for these strong women appear.

But also men living on the lower ends of the society are certainly seen and put in the spotlight. In his painting “the King of Otrobanda” he pictures this poor man as a charismatic leader.
In “Unveiling Juan” he pictures a gay man coming out (Ingrid Braam and Roel Hijink: “De kracht van kwetsbaarheid”).

We advise everybody to visit his website and also read the book by Ingrid Braam and Roel Hijink: “De kracht van kwetsbaarheid” as it gives such a good idea of Carlos Blaaker’s work, his talent, his engagement.  

If pictures say more than a thousand words the social engagement included in his work says more than a million words. 

 

Truly beautiful and truly exceptional!