1 Aug - 31 Aug 2024

Women of Zuidoost

Exhibition in OSCAM

Vrouwen van Zuidoost, Zanggroep Mama Kumba, Amsterdam MuseumVrouwen van Zuidoost

1 Aug - 31 Aug 2024

On display

The exhibition Women of Zuidoost portrays stories of women who enhance unity and solidarity in this part of the city. We get to know the women who voluntarily and fully commit themselves to their neighborhood. Who are they, and what drives them? What impact has the feminist movement had on the various women’s groups in Zuidoost? In this exhibition, the women themselves offer inspiring insight into their lives and their tireless efforts for their community.

Practical information
Location: OSCAM, Bijlmerplein 110-111
Dates: 1 till 31 August 2024
Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
Tickets: not necessary, admission is free

This exhibition is a summer takeover of the Amsterdam Museum at OSCAM.

Moederdagevent Little miss Kwakoe. Fotograaf: Fainelly Poulina.

From young to old

In Amsterdam Zuidoost, a district comprised of no less than 181 nationalities, women have shaped social cohesion for decades, often in the face of oppression. Informal support networks are typical of this part of the city. Solidarity is among the core values. This can be observed in people from young to old, and among women themselves, in support networks that are frequently under the radar, and yet crucial to the community.

From the earliest generation of ladies from the coffee club in Venserpolder, who still cherish memories of when the area’s first homes were built, to the Ghanaian women for whom family and church are an important source of comfort, the influence of women over the years is unmistakable. The women of Stichting Pasensie offer each other support at a time when family members and children are living further and further away. The young mothers of Stichting Carbic and the proud girls of Little Miss Kwakoe give us a glimpse of the future of Zuidoost. We also see the same pride and resilience in the young ladies of the Pentecost Revival Church and the ABC Boxing School, where connection and strength go hand in hand.

Painted portraits

Visual artist Carmen Schabracq's (1988, Amsterdam) work is characterised by its distinct use of colour, feminist character and crossover with theatre. In 2022, she did the BijlmAIR artist in residency at CBK Zuid Oost, where she started her series ‘Women of Zuidoost’. A series of painted portraits of women from different cultural backgrounds who posed for her in their traditional costumes.

For the exhibition Women of Zuidoost in OSCAM X The Amsterdam Museum, she continued her series. She made a portrait of Maybeline Akua, who grew up in Zuidoost, has Ghanaian roots and keeps her cultural background alive with her business in styling traditional Ghanaian clothes.

The exhibition features three works by Carmen Schabracq.

Stichting Pasensie Maskers schilderen 2 Fotograaf Isa van Bosse en Fainelly Poulina

Make an ode

The exhibition Women of Zuidoost shows how indispensable and important women are (have been) to the city of Amsterdam. Yet the role of women in the story of Amsterdam is not yet sufficiently named. This is why the Amsterdam Museum has set up the Women of Amsterdam - an ode platform. Here, we collect odes in all forms to enrich the story of Amsterdam. Would you like to make an ode too?

During the neighbourhood exhibition, you can make an ode on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 13:00 - 14:00 under the guidance of a professional. Would you like to do this at home? Of course you can! Take a look at the platform for more explanation and inspiration.

To the platform