Written by Josée Thissen-Rojer

Gallery Alma Blou at Landhuis Habaai celebrated its 25^th Anniversary with an exhibition entitled ‘Art feeds the soul’. Various local artists participated in the exhibition, and one of them is the visual artist Omar Sling, known as the leader of the Viva Kids Recycle Band. Although the exhibition is closed, the work by Omar Sling will remain in the gallery a while longer.

The title of his work is ‘Beauty’, and it’s a painting of a feminine figure sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. What catches the attention immediately is the enormous afro with a yellow light behind it. The figure is almost naked. She’s wearing a top made of silver- and gold-colored coins, that barely covers her breasts. In her hands, she’s holding a large, white flower. A green hummingbird, wings spread out wide, is hovering in front of the flower.

The figure is made from PVC and is attached to the panel. Behind it, in the background, the artist painted an idyllic landscape, with green vegetation and a large waterfall. The hummingbird and the flower are made from aluminum, PVC and iron. Their shapes stick out from the painting. Omar’s works are made for 95% from recycled material, because he wants to give old and used objects a new value. That’s why he calls the process ‘up-cycle’. On the sign with information regarding the piece, one can see that among the various materials listed by the artist, that have been used for the work, such as aluminum, PVC and paint, he added ‘LOVE’. 

Omar Sling explains that his work ‘Beauty’ is his interpretation of life, nature, and women. While he was working on the piece, he didn’t have a clear concept of what he was creating. It’s only when he finished that he realized what exactly he designed. In his artistic life, his subconscious plays an important role and guides his creativity. Perhaps this is the ‘love’ Omar used, which he considers an integral part of his artistic process.

For Omar, the flower the figure is holding in her hands symbolizes life. The figure itself is the personification of Mother Earth. The shirt on her body, made of coins, refers to the abundance our planet offers us. Omar compares the mother who never turns away her child with the earth, that also never withholds her riches from us. It doesn’t matter who you are, Mother Earth treats everyone the same. The hummingbird taking honey from the flower symbolizes all who choose to receive the riches and abundance that Mother Earth offers.

Behind the figure of Mother Earth, a light is shining, and in the landscape there’s a waterfall. Both are the source of life, but the sound of the water flowing down has an additional meaning. In the painting, there are 5 symbols referring to the 5 senses. The sound of water is connected to the sense of hearing, and the light to the sense of sight. The hummingbird, smelling the flower and sucking the honey, refers to the sense of smell and taste. The sense of touch is in our skin, which is why Omar made sure to let the figure’s skin draw attention to itself by being nearly naked, and by giving it a dark brown color that catches our eye.

Omar has a personal message in the painting. He’s someone who often thinks about the meaning of life, and always communicates his thoughts through his artistic work. “We have one life, and we have to realize what that means. It’s an opportunity that we have received to be here and to experience life. We do this through our five senses. The earth gives and there are no limits to the richness of life. But we must be aware of all this to truly be able to enjoy it. That’s the beauty.”

This post was made possible by the financial support of Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied.
Previously published in Èxtra, on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. This text, in whole or part, may only be reproduced with reference to the source: Curaçao Art®️, www.curacao-art.com, and the author. Copyright of the artworks remains the property of the artist.