In Conversation: Remy Jungerman and Allison K. Young
We are happy to share the recording of the discussion between artist Remy Jungerman and art historian Allison K. Young, which took place during the opening of What the River Says, alongside the launch of Jungerman’s new book, Tracing the Lines.
In the talk, they explored the cultural and aesthetic influences behind Jungerman’s latest works, particularly the geometric patterns seen in Surinamese Maroon textiles and the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The event also featured remarks from Eleonoor Jap Sam, head of Jap Sam Books, the publishing house that produced Tracing the Lines, and Lars Been, the gallery’s curator.
We invite you to watch the full discussion in the video below. Please know that if you have not visited our exhibition yet, you have a little over a week left to do so, the exhibition runs until November 10.
ABOUT Remy Jungerman
Remy Jungerman (1959) lives and works in New York and Amsterdam. He attended the Academy for Higher Arts and Cultural Studies in Paramaribo, Suriname, before moving to Amsterdam where he studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy.
In his work Jungerman explores the intersection of pattern and symbol in Surinamese Maroon culture, the larger African diaspora, and 20th century Modernism. Placing fragments of Maroon textiles and other materials found in the African diaspora—the kaolin clay used in several religious traditions or the nails featured in Nkisi Nkondi power sculpture—in direct contact with materials and imagery drawn from more ‘established’ art traditions, Jungerman presents a peripheral vision that enriches our perspective on art history.
In 2022 Jungerman received the A.H. Heineken Prize for Art.
From November 20, 2021 – April 10, 2022 he was the subject of a career survey show at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam titled Remy Jungerman: Behind the Forest.
In 2019 he represented the Netherlands at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019.
In 2008 he received the Fritschy Culture Award from the Museum het Domein, Sittard, The Netherlands.
His international residencies include Art Omi, International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York and Tembe Art Centre, Moengo, SR.
His work has been featured in numerous publications and acquired by various institutions and private collectors worldwide including Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Kunstmuseum The Hague, and International African American Museum (IAAM), Charleston, US. His first book, Where the River Runs, published by Jap Sam Books in 2019, won the 2019 50books | 50covers design award from the AIGA in the US and has received two 2019 30 Best Dutch Book Designs awards. His second book, Behind the Forest, was published by Jap Sam Books in 2021 in connection with his solo exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. His third book, Tracing the Lines: Patterns of the African Diaspora was published by Jap Sam Books in 2024.
Visit the website of the artist here.
