Tirzo Martha felt good. It was more to be on the safe side that he reported to a doctor in 2018. “I had a little cough and there was blood in my mucus. That could probably be solved with a medicine,” he says when we speak in the Museum van Bommel van Dam in Venlo. That assessment turned out to be a mistake. A virus was discovered in his heart region. Martha was transferred from his hospital in Curaçao to a hospital in Colombia, where he ended up in intensive care with an IV and ventilation. “The cardiologist said that the pumping capacity of my heart was so low that it was actually impossible for me to still be alive.” Physically Martha couldn’t do anything, but her mind kept spinning. “I got plenty of ideas. My loved ones didn’t like that. They thought it would be better for me to put all my energy into my recovery.”
Much of what was bubbling up in the now 58-year-old visual artist from Curaçao then and since can be seen in the exhibition Intensive care. What remained is the playfulness with which he uses waste and other unconventional materials to create images and installations. What was new was the discovery of white. “At first you only see that sterile thing. But once I noticed the different shades, I was completely fascinated. It also turns your sculptures into a bit of painting, because the three-dimensional becomes something two-dimensional. And when you see thirteen works exhibited in Venlo together, they automatically form a unity, one landscape.”
In the sculpture where Intensive care opens, it is easy to see Martha’s sickbed again. He thought there was something monumental and sacred about it. “The ritual with which the sheets were changed again and again. Five, six specialists around you who look at you as if you were a curiosity.”
I recently exhibited in Brazil. Homeless people installed themselves in my work. I like that kind of thing
Healing, partly
It felt like a triumph when Martha was able to work in his studio for the first time after four months. “I have felt good since then, but physically I still know my limitations. I’m still not allowed to lift anything heavy. That takes some getting used to, because your head says something different. It also inhibits your spontaneity. Now, if I want something, in many cases I first have to call my assistants to help me.”
Most of the other works of art in the exhibition have a direct link with the island. They reflect on colonial history, poverty, the poor state of education and the focus on the outside. “It’s not without reason that I use a lot of toilet bowls. Those were status symbols when they came to the island. Nice clothes and nice cars are also very important. At the same time, houses remain unfinished and the landscape is treated carelessly. For example, you can find car tires everywhere. Those kinds of elements can therefore also be found in my work.”
Divided reactions on Curaçao
In Curaçao, Martha’s work provokes divided reactions. “Many people there attach importance to the standard image of a Caribbean island with lots of color and exuberance. My work does not offer that, especially now that white is the dominant color.” At the same time, a primary school was also named after him. “I had doubts about that. I said that I only thought it was good if I could do projects with the students there.” He previously founded the Instituto Buena Bista with colleague David Bade, which tries to help young talent from the island get started in the arts.
Martha aims for a wide reach with his work: “I find the permanent circle of art lovers and critics less important than the rest of the community. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion and experience it differently. One will only see junk and rubbish. For someone else, the imagination goes to work. I recently exhibited in Brazil. Homeless people installed themselves in my work. I like that kind of thing.”
In Venlo, driven by his sense of community, he goes into the neighborhoods, is often in the hall and also creates a work of art together with visitors. “Then cross-connections with Curaçao, for example, become clear. Here too, people are not always positive about ‘the Dutch’ and they would also like to be seen.”
Tirzo Martha – Intensive care. Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, until 4/8. Info: vanbommelvandam.nl
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Tags: Artist Tirzo Martha intensive care discovered power kinds shades white
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