Murals at Festival di Pueblo

Curaçao artists Suzette Rosaria, Avantia Damberg, Morgaine Paris and Pito Polo painted murals during the

Festival di Pueblo 2018.

Traditionally, Flag Day in Curaçao, July 2nd, is celebrated in the early morning with an official ceremony and presentation at the Brionplein in Otrobanda.

This year, His Majesty King Willem and Her Majesty Queen Máxima attended the morning celebrations. New for the occasion was the afternoon Festival di Pueblo, organized in the Breedestraat Otrobanda with several stages offering musical entertainment to the community.

Most stages at the Festival di Pueblo 2018 in Otrobanda were reserved for popular music bands—however, the stage at the square next to the Church of Sta. Ana, Elis Juliana-stage, had a different character with cultural presentations by various groups and individual performers.

Stage managers were Ivan Phelipa and Ingelor Keller of Kas di Kultura Kòrsou (Curaçao Cultural Institute). The festival attracted a good crowd, and the dushi ambiente (good vibe) was felt everywhere.

Next to the presentations on the Elis Juliana stage, four artists were creating murals on the adjacent wall. Avantia Damberg, Morgaine Paris, Pito Polo and Suzette Rosaria are well-known in the Curaçao visual art scene. They were invited by Josée Thissen-Rojer of Kas di Kultura Kòrsou to participate in the event and create a mural during the Festival di Pueblo 2018.

Suzette Rosaria created a colorful mural with a female portrait in the center, symbolizing the island’s vibrant culture. Avantia Damberg chose to carefully copy a stanza of the national anthem, which she felt suited well to the occasion. Morgaine Paris painted a picture of the Holy Family and gave it a local appearance. By giving them dark skin and adding a background with local scenery, she presented a more accessible group of deities.

Pito Polo painted a portrait of one of the colorful inhabitants of Otrobanda, known as Rasta Bientu. He gave him a formal appearance by adding an old-fashioned collar to his shirt. In the background, he painted the famous Emmabridge over the Sta. Ana bay.

The last niche was painted by students of the Art Heals Foundation. All four artists and the Art Heals students have done a fantastic job creating splendid murals for the community to enjoy, contemplate and admire.

The murals are still at the square, and Curaçao Art hopes they will remain even after the property is sold. Also, hopefully, next time, the organizer of Festival di Pueblo will continue the project and add more murals to the square in the remaining niches.

The square is gated but accessible on weekdays between 8 AM and 2 PM. Sunday between 8 AM and 6 PM, closed on Saturdays.

Text and photographs by Josée Thissen-Rojer. When reproducing the text above, please credit the source: Curaçao Art®️ www.curacao-art.com. The artist retains all image rights of their artworks.
Flyer: Festival di Pueblo.