Ontwikkelbijdrage

Jaasir Linger received a grant to learn to work with steel to create his first sculpture for public space in Leiden. The sculpture is inspired by the Surinamese doctor Sophie Redmond, the first black doctor in the Dutch Kingdom.

Jaasir is an artist with Surinamese roots, based in Rotterdam. Through a process of personal exploration and an inquisitive attitude toward his Surinamese roots, the traditional Afro-Surinamese religion/culture Winti and the shared Dutch-Surinamese/Surinamese-Dutch history, he arrives at ideas that he translates into art installation works. Winti is for Jaasir a means to (re)connect with his roots. Elements as well as symbolism from Winti are a recurring motif in all his artworks. He is involved in ongoing research and art projects in the field of Surinamese cultural heritage and history, Winti, decolonization and blackness. His artworks have been shown in Museum Het Rembrandthuis, Amsterdam Museum, Bijbels Museum, museum Het Nieuwe Instituut, CBK Zuidoost, The Black Archives Amsterdam, Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut, and Documenta 15 (Museum Fridericianum, Kassel), among others.