Henry Soekarman Kartotaroeno, better known as Soeka presents to the public an art form which not many contemporary artists in Suriname presently employ. Black and white life like portraits done in conté on paper and oils on canvas, are without a doubt the specialty of this unpretentious but highly skilled artist.

Special passions of Soeka are the expressive faces of the Surinamese people of African descent. The artist is not interested solely in creating a realistic image of the particular person in his portraits, but is obsessed with capturing the animated expressions of his chosen subject. So although the accuracy of anatomy in his paintings is striking, more than anything else the emotional expressions, the all revealing eyes and the lines in the weathered faces are the distinguishing features which set apart the work from this artist. The viewer is inadvertently drawn to the characters and into speculation about the story behind the faces.

Although the artist did not complete his education at the Nola Hatterman Institute, this period was largely responsible for stimulating the interest and determination to further develop his artistic talent. As a largely “self made” artist the level of skill and technical expertise exhibited by Soeka are quite remarkable. Most admirers easily make the mistake of thinking that the portraits done in oil are done with charcoal, but the artist handles his brush and his oils with tremendous ease and skill and has the ability to instantly create the effect he desires. The same is true for his work in conté and whatever material Soeka chooses to use the depth and emotional quality of the work always make a powerful statement.

Real lives, real people and the story told by a face or posture, that is what art by Soeka is all about!

Working experience:
schilderkunst

Exhibitions:
2012 Revealing our stored treasures, RAG in De HAl, Paramaribo, Suriname
2011 National Art Fair, Paramaribo, Suriname
2010 Kunst is Kracht, RAG in De HAl, Paramaribo, Suriname
2010 National Art Fair, Paramaribo, Suriname
2009 National Art Fair, Paramaribo, Suriname
2008 Mini feature, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
2008 Commonalities, Andres Bello, IVCC and RAG, Paramaribo, Suriname
2007 Synergy, Andres Bello, IVCC and RAG, Paramaribo, Suriname
2006 Kunst, Koffie en een Koekje, Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname
2005 Open House Exhibition Readytex Art Gallery, Paramaribo, Suriname