Bay den.
[English below Papiamento]
Aviso di contenido: reflexion di violencia systemico di genero y palabranan "malo".
˗ˏˋ🔪 ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ🔪 ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ🔪 ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ🔪 ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ🔪 ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ🔪 ˎˊ˗
Tin un aura den e camber aki. Aura di refleccion. Aura di ta sintonisa cu e curpa. E curpa cu ta ser alaba y demonisa, na mes momento. E curpa cu a duna lus. Intimo. Alma cu a experiencia hopi. Bon y malo. Aura di acceptacion y laga bay. Aura di yama bon bini na e nobo.
Canando pafo den e curá patras di e studio di Proyekto Tres na Amsterdam Oost, mi a para keto un rato dilanti un stoel di tela blanco cu cuater pia preto. E tipo di stoelnan blanco cu lomba poco halto, e tipo cu mi ta custumbra di wak den potretnan di casamento luhoso. Den un trance mi ta keda wak e stoel. Kiko mi ta mirando ki??
Generalmente, ora mi mira of pensa di un machete, mi ta asocia esaki cu resistencia di mi antepasadonan. Mi ta pensa riba machete di mi wela, esun cu el a usa pa a defende su yiunan fo'i hombernan violento. Y pa defende su galiñanan fo'i e boa. Pero den Alydia Wever su obra Bai den Konjo (Go Fuck Yourself) (2025), e machete ta confronta mi como un simbolo di opresion. [1] Aki, e machete frustia ta sali fo'i e asiento di e stoel, saliendo for di e mesun lugar cu hende lo sinta. Na cada punta di e asiento, unda bo hol di rudia lo por sosega, un calco ta pegá. E dos calconan ta mará cu hilo blanco un poco diki, y esakinan ta suspendi, bay ariba na cada banda di stoel su lomba. E hilonan blanco ta parce cu nan ta drentando den un mancha cora cu textura diki den forma di man riba e lomba di e stoel. Sanger. Sanger di sufrimento? Mi porionan ta habri, liberando un poco likido salo di mi cuero. Sodo. Un tension ta preta mi pecho diripiente, reflehando e tension di e hilonan blanco. E pulso den mi ta bati mas liher, mi curason ta bati te den mi oreanan. Entre e dos manchanan cora, un tela di oro den forma di un cruz ta cosi riba e lomba di e stoel, su randnan ancra den e zom di e lomba (mira Imagen 1).
Imagen 1. "Bai Den Konjo (Go Fuck Yourself)", Alydia Wever, 2025. Potret pa Ichmarah Kock na Proyekto Tres, Amsterdam 2025.
"Mi ta cuminda bo Maria, yen di gracia, señor ta cu bo.
Bo ta bendiciona di tur muhernan,
e fruta den bo bariga cu Hesus
bo ta bendiciona.
Santa Maria, mama di dios,
pidi pa nos, pecador,
awor y na ora di nos morto, amen," ta resona den mi cabes, mientras mi wowonan ta drif bai na e rosarionan colga fo'i e lomba di e stoel y uno cu ta colga parcialmente rib'e punta di e machete. Mi no sa con pa sortea mi pensamentonan. Indoctrinacion di e religion cristian! E sistema social di odio contra y control riba curpanan cu Vagina, curpanan femenino, curpanan afeminado. Y curpanan manera esakinan, indoctrina y oprimi p'e sistema ki, ta keda ripiti e mesun sistema di odio y control! Mi kier grita! BAY DEN COÑO MES!!...
Imagen 2. “E Duele (Mourning)” Alydia Wever, 2021. Potret pa Ichmarah Kock na Proyekto Tres, Amsterdam 2025.
Mi mirada ta cambia for di e rosarionan pa e espacio tras di e stoel. Den distancia, mi ta mira un maletin preto cu hesponan di oro, habrí rib'un pañ'i mesa blanco di canchi: “E Duele (Mourning)” di 2021 (mira Imagen 2). Tur esakinan poni riba un mesa abou di palo bruin scur. Un flecha ta perfora e maletin di robes pa drechi. E flecha cu su plumanan un banda y su punta skerpi e otro banda. Mi ta cana yega serca di e maletin flechá riba un mesa abou, y rek mi nek pa wak den dje. E paden di e maletin ta cora bibo. E saco cu ziper meymey di e maletin ta yená cu bol'i cabey preto. Algun di e bolnan di cabey ta pegá na e flecha mes cu ta pasa meymey den e maletin. E Vagina na cabey preto. E Vagina yen dolor. E sufrimento cu e curpanan aki ta soporta den un sistema social di odio y control.
Mi ta bira bek na e stoel blanco cu e machete. Pará meymey di e refleho aki di sociedad. "Bay den coño mes, sinceramente," a pasa den mi mente mientras mi ta hala rosea profundo y ta exhal'e pocopoco fo'i mi boca.
Skirbí pa Ichmarah Kock
1 mei 2025
﹏𓇼 ⋆.˚ ꩜⋆.˚ 𓇼﹏
Fuente:
[1] E obranan di arte "Bai den Konjo (Go Fuck Yourself)" di 2025 y “E Duele (Mourning)” di 2021 ta parti di e exposicion "E Spirito Su Consenshi; E Era Nobo Di Re-coleccion / Transformacion (The Spirit's Consciousness/ The New Era of Re-Collection/ Transformation)”. Por presencia e obra y exposicion desde 11 april pa 11 mei 2025 na Proyekto Tres, Camperstraat 3-H, 1091 AD, Amsterdam, Hulanda. Dia 11 mei, Alydia Wever lo haci un performance 15:00 di atardi. https://www.instagram.com/p/DH26BfqswA2.
Download PDF-document: Archive.org
[Title translation by author: “Go.”]
Content warning: reflections on systemic gender violence and use of explicit language.
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There is an aura in this room. An aura of reflections. An aura of being in tune with the body. The body that is both praised and demonized, all at the same time. The body that gave birth. Intimate. A soul that has experienced so much. Good and bad. Aura of acceptance and letting go. Aura of welcoming the new.
Walking out into the backyard of Proyekto Tres studio in Amsterdam East, I pause for a moment in front of a white fabric chair with four black legs. The kind of white chairs with a slightly high back, the type I usually see in pictures of luxurious weddings. In a sort of trance, I stare at the chair. What am I looking at??
Generally, when I see or think of a machete, I associate it with the resistance from my ancestors. I think of my grandmother's machete, the one she used to defend her children with from violent men. And to defend her chickens from the boa. But in Alydia Wever's work Bai Den Konjo (Go Fuck Yourself) (2025), the machete confronts me as a symbol of oppression. [1] Here, a rusted machete rises from the seat of the chair, coming out of the very place where someone would sit. At each end of the seat, near where your kneecaps would rest, a calco, a conch shell is attached. The two shells are tied with slightly thick white thread, suspended upward on each side of the chair's back. The white threads seem to pierce into a thick, textured red stain shaped like a hand on the back of the chair. Blood. Blood from suffering? My pores open slightly, releasing a bit of salty fluid from my skin. Sweat. A tension tightens in my chest, mirroring the tension of the white threads. My pulse beats faster, I feel my heart pounding all the way up into my ears. Between the two red stains, a golden cross-shaped fabric is sewn onto the chair's back, its edges anchored into the upholstery (see Image 1).
Image 1. "Bai Den Konjo (Go Fuck Yourself)", Alydia Wever, 2025. Photo by Ichmarah Kock at Proyekto Tres, Amsterdam 2025.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed
is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death, amen," resonates in my head as my eyes drift to the rosaries hanging from the back of the chair and one draped partially over the tip of the machete. I don't know how to sort out my thoughts. Christian indoctrination! The social system of hatred against and control over bodies with Vagina, feminine bodies, effeminate bodies. And bodies like these, indoctrinated and oppressed by the same system, often end up perpetuating this same systemic hate and control! I want to scream! INDEED, GO FUCK YOURSELF!!...
Image 2. “E Duele (Mourning)", Alydia Wever, 2021. Photo by Ichmarah Kock at Proyekto Tres, Amsterdam 2025.
My gaze shifts from the rosaries to the space behind the chair. In the distance, I spot a black briefcase with golden buckles, opened on a white laced tablecloth, atop a low, dark brown wooden table: “E Duele (Mourning), 2021 (see Image 2.). An arrow pierces the briefcase from left to right. The arrow with its feathers on one side and its sharp point on the other. I walk to the arrowed briefcase on a low table, and stretch my neck to look inside. The lining of the briefcase is bright red. The zippered pouch in the center is stuffed with clumps of black hair. Some of the hair clings to the arrow itself that passes through the briefcase. A black-haired Vagina. The Vagina in pain. The suffering these bodies endure in a social system of hatred and control.
I turn back to the white chair with the machete. Standing there in the middle of this reflection of society. "Go fuck yourself, honestly," runs through my mind as I take a deep breath and slowly exhale through my mouth.
Written by Ichmarah Kock
1 May 2025
﹏𓇼 ⋆.˚ ꩜⋆.˚ 𓇼﹏
Source:
[1] The artworks "Bai den Konjo (Go Fuck Yourself)" (2025) and “E Duele (Mourning)” are part of the exhibition "E Spirito Su Consenshi; E Era Nobo Di Re-coleccion / Transformacion (The Spirit's Consciousness/ The New Era of Re-Collection/ Transformation).” You can see work and the exhibition from 11 April to 11 May 2025 at Projekto Tres, Camperstraat 3-H, 1091 AD, Amsterdam, Netherlands. On May 11, Alydia Wever will have a performance at 15:00 in the afternoon. https://www.instagram.com/p/DH26BfqswA2.
Download PDF-document: Archive.org