Raquel van Haver's 'Spirits of the Soil' at Stedelijk Museum Features Mixed-Media Paintings of Global Street Life

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam hosted Raquel van Haver's exhibition 'Spirits of the Soil' from 25 November 2018 to 7 April 2019. This showcase highlighted her mixed-media artworks, which combine oil on canvas with unique materials such as burlap, cardboard, chalk, tar, plastic, charcoal, and artificial hair, resulting in textured, sculptural pieces. Van Haver, originally from Colombia and raised in Amsterdam's Bijlmer area, draws from urban experiences in Trinidad, Surinam, Cuba, and Nigeria, using thousands of photographs from her field studies. Notable works included 'Dem Smoke and Blaze under Royal regime' and 'We do not sleep as we parade all through the Night...', the latter being a significant 9.2 by 4-meter piece that references Leonardo's 'The Last Supper'. A black wooden stage in the exhibition's final room allowed for a closer examination of these large works, enhancing viewer engagement. Her collages, crafted from photographs taken during a residency in Lagos, showcased vibrant street scenes against dark backgrounds. Van Haver's approach merges painting and sculpture, often extending beyond the canvas to highlight a makeshift aesthetic, while her focus on community and street life in the Global South is vividly expressed through dynamic compositions that reflect moments of social interaction.