Merly Trappenberg gallery in Sambil
To play the Landsloterij-lottery in Curaçao, you must buy your brièchi (lottery ticket). The brièchi-sellers, often older women, always wait for clients outside supermarkets, banks, or shopping centers. It’s such a common sight that we never think twice about it.
Visual artist Merly Trappenberg observes these habits that are so ingrained in our routine that we don’t see them as unique anymore. She understands that these ‘insignificant’ daily customs show you the core of a country’s culture.
She painted The lottery seller, a woman with soft, amiable features sitting in the shade, holding out her tickets to attract customers. Merly hit the target because we can immediately identify with the scene. Note how the woman holds her big bag tightly under her arm and how her skirt reveals her knees. The rollers in her hair peep under the headscarf, and she softly waves the tickets to get the buyers’ attention. The familiarity of the scene is hidden in these small details, and the artist uses them to connect with the viewer.
Temporary art gallery in Sambil.
The management of Sambil invited Merly Trappenberg to set up a temporary art gallery with her work in the famous shopping mall in Curaçao.
Curaçao is her source of inspiration, and the life, traditions, and customs of the Afro-Curaçao community are especially depicted in her paintings. She paints the ordinary occurrences and daily activities that typically shape life on a Caribbean Island.
In her work, she consciously elevates these simple situations to point out the pride and self-esteem of the people she portrays. Women are her principal subject matter, and she gives them green or blue eyes to indicate the cultural and racial mix on the island.
In the stunning piece Proud of My Culture, she shows a woman wearing a folkloristic dress and a splendidly wrapped headscarf. The striking white collar contrasts sharply with her dark skin and the intense blues of the bodice and skirt.
The dress is elegantly displayed, like a beautiful robe or gown, revealing subtle cleavage. Her downward gaze, sensual mouth, and restrained arm gestures indicate a trance-like state. This is enhanced by the delicate background colors surrounding her like an aura. Her face is turned toward the light, leaving part of the face, neck, and shoulder in the shadow, enhancing the moment’s drama.
‘Proud of my Culture’ was made in 2018 and is an excellent example of her style. When starting a new painting, she follows a specific procedure. After deciding on the subject, she sets out on a thorough investigation. For this piece, about a cultural custom, she researches the tradition, setting, vesture, and smallest detail before starting on the painting.
Merly expertly applies a unique technique known as sfumato, where tones and colors gradually merge, producing softened outlines or hazy forms. This technique is also responsible for the soft glow in her paintings, causing the viewer to fall madly in love with her work.
Merly was born in Venezuela but already, as a young child, regularly visited Curaçao. Although her heart is set on music and arts, she abides by her parent’s wishes and becomes a civil engineer. When she, as a young woman, relocates to Curaçao, she seizes the opportunity to enter the Akademia di Arte and pursue her true calling to become a visual artist.
As the exhibition shows, Merly works with two techniques, which she initially would combine with the subject matter. In the past, she would paint portraits and city views in bright, warm colors on canvas. She would turn to earth tones for her nudes and use a course-like surface. Over the past years, she released this rigid division and started combining technique and subject matter, entering a new phase in her artistic career.
Merly Trappenberg’s unique style makes her stand out in the local art scene. She has deep respect and admiration for the heritage of the Afro Curaçao community and passionately voices this in her paintings. Sambil acknowledges her immense talent and significance by allowing her to showcase her work in their mall.
2018: Text and Pictures by Josée Thissen-Rojer. The above text may be reproduced only with reference to the source and author: Curaçao Art®️ www.curacao-art.com. Image rights of the artworks remain the property of the artist.
Click here for Merly Trappenberg’s profile page.
