Miguel Keerveld

MIguel ‘EdKe’ Keerveld (Suriname, 1982) is an multi-interdisciplinary artist. With a background in civil engineering, he works on projects related to leadership, quality management control, artistic research, social practice, and is participating in various projects and residencies in Brazil and Mexico, amongst others. His focus on curating, intuitive coaching and writing interrogate race and gender with a critical perspective through which he frequently pushes the boundaries to confront generalized ideas about the processes of identification, engaging in creative production that challenges colonization and representation.

In 2021, Miguel Keerveld was an awardee of the Silvia de Groot fund, Netherlands. This fund financially supports students or young researchers with Dutch-Caribbean roots, preferably of Maroon descent, in the preparation of a scientific publication in the field of the Royal Institute of Linguistics, Land and Ethnology. In 2020, Miguel participated in the CATAPULT Stay Home Artist Residency – Caribbean and in 2017 he was selected as one of the Winners of the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) – USA.

Notable productions by Miguel Keerveld include:

  • 2022: Movement in Lines – performing “negrotivities” at Despina – Rio de Janeiro, BR
  • 2021: ALAKONDRE – A Space In Time at Readytex Art Gallery – Paramaribo, SR
  • 2020: NET’ ALENG – You Are NOT Invited! at De Hal – Paramaribo, SR
  • 2020: COUP 22 – virtual intervention, to promote positivism during COVID-19 pandemic
  • 2019: SOLAR – exhibition combined with disco at Casa Francescana, Mexico City, MX
  • 2018: M21 – Where young people and artists come together at De Hal – Paramaribo, SR
  • 2018: ERROR ERROR ERROR – performance in Downtown – Paramaribo, SR
  • 2017: AISA AYA – community public art at Centro Selva Arte y Ciencia – Pucallpa, PE

“I am exploring curatorial practice in relation to the idea of alakondre. Manifestation of alakondre, as a political concept in Suriname, is a mode of functioning in contrast to apartheid. This all-inclusive and plural model relates to identification and representation in Suriname and is at the intersection of art, culture and society.”

My practice combines spontaneity and methodology and focuses on performativity as a social construct. In this pursuit, I use visual and textual creations to trace knowledge and intuition as technologies for interventions to culture and in nature. In general, I document my encounters with others as appearances of An Other – which can lead to pragmatic, emotional, and ethical tension. To transform these tensions, I am focusing on performativity based on communal strength, and depict those narratives through art installations.