“Vreemde Rassen” & Curaçao (2025)

In Underdeveloped #2, Vincent van Velsen shows “Vreemde Rassen” and Curaçao (2025). The base of these presentations is his research into the collection of Nederlands Fotomuseum, during which he explored the representation of the former colonial and current overseas territories and their inhabitants.

The term “vreemde rassen” (EN: “strange races”) – a category within the museum’s collection – seemed to be linked to Piet Zwart and consists of several (preliminary studies of) collage works and three photographs that Piet Zwart took of Anton de Kom. Van Velsen notices that the museum included a note in their description stating: “This description contains a word that the museum does not endorse. This word, ‘(word)’, has been taken from the original information accompanying the photo and is part of the object’s history.” However, Van Velsen discovered that this note is not consistently present, making it even more remarkable.

The term “Curaçao”, which appears as a category within the museum’s collection as well, serves as the starting point for his other work. A key aspect of this research is understanding from which perspective and with what language the people and the place have been documented under the label “Curaçao”.

Both works by Vincent van Velsen in Underdeveloped #2, draw attention to the ways in which imagery, categorization, and historical ideologies persist and continue to shape the present.