Fifty years of political independence, a historic milestone marking the period during which Suriname has sought and followed its own path. Visual artist Sunil Puljhun puts it this way: “My work explores that path, along the dream of sovereignty and the reality of an independent existence.”
Starting Saturday, October 18, Readytex Art Gallery will present a selection of new works by Sunil Puljhun in which he visualizes Suriname’s own journey. The dream is expressed in the bright colors of several works that reflect the promise of Srefidensi: the pride of the flag, the strength of the golden star connecting the five continents of its people. Pangi fabrics, wood carvings, a dragon’s head, the portrait of an Indigenous person wearing a headdress, wayang puppets and Sanskrit script all represent the country’s diverse cultural riches.
For Puljhun, 50 years of political independence is neither a celebration nor an indictment. Rather, it is an exploration of the question: What path has Suriname traveled in these fifty years? Is it a straight road forward, a circle, or a winding path that must continually rediscover itself? All his art works in the exhibition are reflections on that question. The artist offers no answers, but invites viewers to fill in the gaps of this journey with their own experiences and to embrace the complex beauty of a country still very much in the making.
This personal path is not about reaching a perfect destination, but about the courage of the journey itself, about keeping the dream alive amid the sometimes harsh realities of daily life. Puljhun’s work is a snapshot of that balance, a celebration of resilience and an intimate look at the price of sovereignty. It is a recognition of the struggle and a tribute to the unfinished yet undeniable own path of a people. At its core, it is a search for home.
From Saturday, October 18 to Saturday, November 29, you are warmly invited to join Sunil Puljhun’s journey in the exhibition Srefidensi 50 Years: The own path between dream and reality.
Readytex Art Gallery is open Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm and Saturday from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm.
Team Readytex Art Gallery
Srefidensi 50 jaar: Sunil Puljhun onderzoekt Surinames eigen weg bij Readytex
https://www.surinametimes.com/artikel/expo-srefidensi-50-jaar-in-readytex-art-gallery
Sunil Puljhun