Navin Thakoer
This eleventh edition of Rotterdam Cultural histories focused on the history of hip hop culture in Rotterdam. Guest curator Navin Thakoer made the ongoing discussion concerning hip hop and its heritages visible by appealing to social media, asking: Who are the legendary Rotterdam hip-hoppers and why?
For 40 years hip hop has been more than one movement: what it claims to be, what it takes as its domain, and which voices matter, all keep shifting. The same applies for hip hop’s history: there is not one story in which everyone involved would recognise themselves. Hip hop history is itself subject to different claims, and part of an ongoing vigorous debate. Time and again, hip hop offers room to create a temporary identity for a new generation of youngsters, and a way to reinvent themselves. Therefore, what hip hop actually means, or is supposed to stand for, in the specific social dynamics of today, is something completely different than 40 or 20 years ago.
With this in mind, Thakoer created a presentation that functioned as a discussion piece, combining a selection of images documenting the history of hip hop in Rotterdam with the answers he received on an open call, asking which artists or events should be included in this history today.
A manifesto, titled ‘Don’t believe the hype!’, functioned as a trigger for discussion.
The documentary ‘Walkmen – The history of Roffadamn hip-hop‘ (2002) recalled the early years of hiphop. This documentary was created by the Rotterdam artist, producer and label owner Mike Redman, in cooperation with editor Victor Vroegindeweij. By using rare archive images and interviews with Rotterdam head men, ‘Walkmen’ relates the Rotterdam hip-hop scene of 1979-2001.
Navin Thakoer
Navin Thakoer a.k.a. NaferLovesYou is a Rotterdam artist, who, using sample techniques, develops projects in which ‘glocal’ culture, identity and interaction form central stage. In 2017, he realised the NaferLovesYou Supermarket, showing exhibitions and activities concerning the variability of identity. He also formed part of Transformerz, a collective of artists, musicians and DJs, that initiated ground-breaking club evenings between 1994-2003, linking together the influences from the various cultures present in the Netherlands, and thus creating the basis for urban eclectic and a new Dutch urban discourse.
Disclaim the Street was presented in conjunction with BLUEPRINT, a project on street culture and cultural appropriation, in which Thakoer also took part.
With thanks to Mike Redman and Siebe Thissen.
Rotterdam Cultural Histories
In Shared Space, our shared exhibition space on the second floor, TENT and Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art alternatingly create presentations on subjects from the history of art and culture in Rotterdam. This collaborative series was conceived by Defne Ayas (Witte de With) and Mariette Dölle (TENT) in 2014 to explore the common roots of both institutions in Rotterdam.
artists
Navin Thakoer