Date: Saturday December 21st
Time: 14.00 hours
Location: intersection of Jagthuisstraat and Essenburgstraat
The painting was commissioned by BKOR Don't give racism a chance (1988) by Ro Heilbron has been restored in recent weeks. Next Saturday, December 21 at 14 p.m., the work of art will be unveiled at its original location on the corner of Jagthuisstraat and Essenburgstraat. You are most welcome to celebrate its return to the neighborhood with us with a cup of coffee, tea and a short program.
Heilbron was an important artist in the Nieuwe Westen. In 1976 he opened in this district Gallery Solidair, a place for non-commercial artists, where Surinamese lectures were held and where he had a graphic workshop. Heilbron was commissioned to paint the Don't give racism a chance in 1988 of the Anti-Fascism/Racism Committee, a working group of the residents' organization in the Nieuwe Westen. The painting he depicted facets of racism and fascism, the fight against them and the hope for a better future. In this way, the artwork fits in seamlessly with the message of the Committee.
About the painting
The painting was in poor condition. Commissioned by BKOR, a reconstruction of the work was made by Opperclaes and Erico Smit. In 2023, they launched the project Ro!Source of Salvation!, which was set up to honor and preserve Heilbron's legacy. Heilbron made the original painting in 1988. After an earlier restoration, the work was later moved from Jagthuisstraat to Gerrit Jan Mulderstraat. At the initiative of Jeanet Callender, Heilbron's widow, and in consultation with Woonstad Rotterdam, the painting was returned to its original location on Jagthuisstraat. In this way, the connection with the neighborhood where Heilbron lived and worked for many years, and where Callender still lives, is maintained.
About the artist
Ro (Ronald) Heilbron (Paramaribo, Suriname, 1938 – Rotterdam, 2014) was a Surinamese painter, graphic artist and activist. He painted colorful works about poverty, inequality and political unrest. He worked at various printing companies in Suriname and from 1964 to 1970, together with his wife Jeanet Calender, he published the popular youth magazine Yeah! out, focused on music culture in Suriname. In 1970 he moved with his family to the Netherlands, where Ro combined work in a printing house with painting. In addition to his own work, Heilbron also produced many graphic works commissioned by others, including pamphlets, calendars, books and stage sets. Ro Heilbron passed away in 2014. For over fifty years, his work has testified to his involvement with fellow human beings, historical awareness and a sense of beauty and symbolism.
