VIDEO / FILM
Born and raised in Aruba, Ichmarah places her native language, Papiamento, at the heart of her work, using it as a dynamic tool to tell stories. By incorporating Papiamento, she challenges its marginalization, fosters pride among its speakers, and reclaims its place in global cultural narratives.
Scroll down for selected recent works and click on the video to play. Ichmarah's art portfolio is available upon request via ichmarah@gmail.com.
Existencia - Un cinepoesia di Ichmarah Kock y clitoria_erekta (2024). © Ichmarah Kock. 01:32 min. Subtitle in Papiamento. https://vimeo.com/1016822893
English: "Existence - A cine poetry by Ichmarah Kock and clitoria_erekta". With this video art I reflect on the journey of finding joy after years of struggling with mental health. Through intense body movements and a video collage of mundane neighborhood scenes in Amsterdam, it explores embracing life beyond exhaustion and mental health challenges.
"ta ser percibi, biba bida, bibando." (2024). © Ichmarah Kock. 00:11 sec. Subtitle in Papiamento. https://vimeo.com/970996542
English: "Being perceived, live life, living." This video art reflects the fear of being perceived by others. By blending a mundane scene with my portrait, it emphasizes the inevitability of not being seen, while reminding myself not to serve or conform to those perceptions.
3. Ichmarah ta yuda traha ayaca (2024). © Ichmarah Kock. 03:33 min. Subtitle in Papiamento. https://vimeo.com/973135031
English: "3. Ichmarah helps making ayaca". Part of the three-part serie "Ichmarah na Aruba" (translation: Ichmarah in Aruba). A serie that seeks to answer the question: What does it mean to root oneself again in the country where their umbilical cord is buried in the ground? In this last part of the serie, I explore the question by making together with my parents a staple end-of-the-year dish in Aruba and the close region: the Ayaca.
2. Ichmarah y Aruba su bunitesa (2024). © Ichmarah Kock. 04:07 min. Subtitle in Papiamento. https://vimeo.com/907071972
English: "2. Ichmarah and Aruba's beauty". Part of the three-part "Ichmarah na Aruba" (translation: Ichmarah in Aruba). A serie that seeks to answer the question: What does it mean to root oneself again in the country where their umbilical cord is buried in the ground? With the second part of the serie, I aim to answer this question by trying to be spiritually connected with the ecological environment during nature walks in Aruba.
1. Ichmarah a yega cas (2023). © Ichmarah Kock. 02:58 min. Subtitle in Papiamento. https://vimeo.com/907070488
English: "1. Ichmarah is home". Part of the three-part serie "Ichmarah na Aruba" (translation: Ichmarah in Aruba). A serie that seeks to answer the question: What does it mean to root oneself again in the country where their umbilical cord is buried in the ground? In the first part of this series, I explore returning to Aruba after 20+ years in the Netherlands, while reflecting on my grandmother's resilience as a Black woman and its influence on my own journey and identity.
Serie di Felicidad #4: I have missed me (2022). © Ichmarah Kock. 00:59 sec. No subtitle. https://vimeo.com/973160401
Eng: "Happiness Serie #4: I have missed me". In the "Happiness Series," I explore the interplay of joy and struggle, using text by my pseudonym, clitoria_erekta. By partially showing my face, I metaphorically open a portal to welcome joy, while language serves as a therapeutic tool for navigating life's complexities. Full writing series, in Papiamento only by clitoria_erekta.
Pasa tempo (2019). © Ichmarah Kock. 00:57 sec. No subtitle. https://vimeo.com/349410599
Eng: "Passing time". In this video art, I examine the act of applying makeup and singing with a cheerful voice as a mask, concealing both physical and mental states, revealing how we often hide our true selves behind layers of performance.