Jury report City Drawing Artists 2024
To start with, two newspaper reports dated the day this jury report was written. “You no longer hear politicians talking about social security,” said two Dutch MEPs in Trouw, in response to the slow process of raising the minimum wage in the Netherlands. And: 'The number of homeless people is increasing, as CBS figures recently showed. The estimate is 30.600 homeless on January 1 this year, 15 percent more than in 2023', says NRC in an article about the homeless in Rotterdam.
When we decided last year to base our call for the city cartoonists of 2024 on the theme '(in)security of existence', this concept was echoed daily on all conceivable media. Politics, with a view to the national elections in November 2023, had embraced it as a new mantra, as the beginning of a new insight. Now, more than four months later, the urgency seems to have disappeared – at least, if we use the same media as a benchmark again.
We wrote in our call that (in)security is an urgent topic, especially in Rotterdam, the poorest city in the Netherlands. About 15,4% of Rotterdam residents live below the poverty line. The rising costs of living due to inflation mean that daily life for Rotterdam residents is becoming increasingly uncertain. Approximately 85.000 people in the city earn too little to meet basic necessities such as food, clothing, housing and health care. This means that more and more people are dependent on aid, such as the Food Bank, to survive. In addition, approximately 50.000 Rotterdam residents are struggling with debts. At the same time, the tight housing market results in overcrowded night shelters and people sleeping in porches and on the street. What poverty and (in)security will look like and change in 2024 is not always visible. We are convinced that this urgent topic, which directly or indirectly affects many Rotterdam residents and has many faces, needs to be brought into focus.
Surpassed
Our expectation that this theme will create something among artists has already been confirmed recently by, for example, the manifestation Right to Rest where tent camps were set up in solidarity with homeless Rotterdammers on Stationsplein, the steps of the City Hall and Wijkpark het Oude Westen. Rotterdam artists were among the initiators and provided a diverse program with speakers, music and workshops. And yet our expectations were far exceeded! Not only did no fewer than 79 artists submit their documentation and motivation, the highest number of submissions since the start of the city draftsmanship, the jury members also noted that most entrants showed great personal involvement in their motivation. Many entries are about a serious form of poverty and it is sometimes shocking to read the personal stories of people who themselves struggle with that insecurity. And with increasing doubt about the future among an increasingly large group of people, the prospects are not improving. The jury is very impressed by the level at which the personal theme is translated into powerful drawings - often from suffering to resilience, with all the hopes and dreams that lie beneath. The jury also notes that a large group of new young cartoonists has registered this year and is sincerely happy with this. However, it did not make her task of choosing the City Drawing Artists of 2024 any easier!
Judging
All entries were assessed by the individual jury members on substantive motivation and the power of the drawings to express the theme. From there, a shortlist of 19 candidates was created that was discussed by the joint jury. This is a remarkably high number, which once again emphasizes the diversity and quality of the entries. In the discussions that followed, the concepts of sincerity, expression and resilience played a central role. A certain narrative quality in which the personal experience evolves into a shared experience, and the visibility of Rotterdam in the work of the entrants, were also included.
After the fumes had cleared, four names remained in the sights of all the jury members. This was enough reason for consultation, because in the tradition of the Rotterdam City Drawing Artists, three are chosen every year. However, this is not set in stone. Every year we try to show an exciting variation in our choice in the approach, the artistic elaboration and of course the intrinsic Rotterdam component. So far, three has proven to be a perfect number for the number of artists who could work with these principles. However, the 2024 jury did not accept this, as the package of desires was too large for three artists. Naturally, the deeper story must be depicted from within, but it is also important to really offer artists an opportunity to grow. It is important that they tell their own story and that people are portrayed in a respectful way. But a certain urban pride is also important. And it would be nice if research took place. Maybe something activist?
In short, in the end one of the jury members suggested that a fourth artist could not be missed, and even became necessary. And so it happened. It is with great pride and pleasure that the jury appoints the following artists as Rotterdam City Drawing Artist 2024:
Ainine
He is a self-taught draftsman who uses the Bic ballpoint pen as a basis in all his drawings. He lived on the streets for years and knows what cold, hunger, loneliness, helplessness and the feeling of being left out mean. His drawing project will consist of depicting the situation of individuals who have difficulty adapting to society, due to lack of livelihood, lack of housing, papers, work and money, and whose lives are a daily struggle for survival has become. The jury is impressed by his drawings and the way in which he experiences the theme. “It is beautiful how he writes about the metaphor of the body for society: 'A so-called civilized society that does not admit that it has excluded people is like a sick body that refuses to see its illness. It cannot function healthily'.”
Sioe Jeng Tsao
Her experiences as a child of self-employed entrepreneurs have shaped her and deepened her understanding of the challenges many small business owners face. The struggle for survival against the growing dominance of large chains, the constant pressure to make ends meet – these are experiences she knows all too well. “But it is precisely in these challenges that I also see the resilience and determination of the people of Rotterdam, and I believe it is important to share and highlight these stories.” Her idea is to focus on the resilience and resilience of the people of Rotterdam in her drawings. She wants to capture the stories of individuals who, despite poverty and uncertainty, show their creativity, perseverance and solidarity. The jury greatly appreciates both the motivation and the intention to write her personal story in an attractive and colorful style.
Tania Alexandra Cardosa
The Rotterdam motto 'Stronger through Struggle' is central to Cardosa's plan. This urban battle cry largely nourishes the city's identity, especially in terms of architecture and urban development. But as is known, there is also a downside, namely in terms of quality of life and the social circumstances of many city residents. She sets out to capture this contrast in narrative drawings. The jury sees this as a strong combination of research and activism, based on personal experiences in the city. Cardosa's drawings take you into the changes to which the city is now heavily subject. It is also nice that she makes a connection between past, present and future. In any case, Rotterdam has a strong tradition of residents' activism, such as Action Group Oude Westen, the Spangen blockade led by Annie Verdoold and Grarda Pelger from the Tweebosbuurt - it is good when this fire remains alive.
Take-A-Way Collective
Since 2022, the collective has been bringing neighbors together to drink coffee, tell stories and initiate collective making sessions. The group includes local residents (Tarwewijk) with different cultural backgrounds and social positions, refugees without and with a residence permit, homeless people, artists, care providers, civil servants, lonely people and trailblazers. Together they produce images and products, the proceeds of which benefit the people who need them.
Take-A-Way Collective wants to provide a realistic and vulnerable insight into life in the city of Rotterdam in 2024, in all its difficult but also beautiful forms. We can bring stories of long waits in uncertainty, battles with bureaucratic systems, but also of supporting each other and warm encounters to life in images. The jury is enthusiastic about the collective working method and also sees this as an example in the current era. The collage-like effect comes across very strongly and shows that loneliness is enormous when living in poverty. The collective built means that you strengthen your network and thus create the basic conditions to sustain yourself in difficult times. And from there they create – that's very strong.
Rotterdam, April 8, 2024,
on behalf of the jury Stadtekenaars 2024, consisting of Pris Roos (artist), David Snels (Kunsthal), Thamar Kemperman (Art and Culture program coordinator, Pauluskerk), Jantje Steenhuis (director of Rotterdam City Archives), Wanda Waanders (curator of Rotterdam City Archives), Cindy Stegeman (Art Office, CBK Rotterdam) and Ove Lucas (CBK Rotterdam).