You are invited for the Opening of the Exhibition ‘De Fraters van Tilburg’ The Friars of Tilburg, by sculptor Tommy van der Loo and the showing of the documentary ‘Spiegelbeeld’ by Floor Foole en Marleen Kuijster
Opening New Exhibition ‘De Fraters van Tilburg’
Showing of the Documentary ‘Spiegeldbeeld’
Thursday, May 1, 2025
From 19:00 to 21:00
Second showing of the Documentary ‘Spiegeldbeeld’
With an in-depth interview of Tommy van der Loo by journalist Nelly Rosa
Saturday, May 3, 2025
From 11:00 to 13:00
In the documentary ‘Spiegelbeeld’, sculptor Tommy van der Loo goes on an artistic research into the role of The Friars of Tilburg in Curaçao and his own identity.
In researching their history, he also came across his family history, which is inextricably linked to each other.
The Friars of Tilburg were active in Curaçao from 1886 to 1995, and during this period, they were mainly committed to education and a large number of Curaçaoans have been taught by the Friars, including Tommy’s mother.
Whilst Tommy recognizes that the presence of the Friars in Curaçao had a positive influence on the education field, he nonetheless poses critical questions and the results thereof, both in the documentary and with his wooden sculpture, the latter a direct result of his artistic journey and research into this subject.
With his sculpture, Tommy hopes to start a conversation about the role of the Friars of Tilburg in the development of Curaçao.
About Tommy van der Loo
Tommy van der Loo (1989) was born in Udenhout and has a Curaçaoan mother (Mirelva Hooi) and a Dutch father (Frank van der Loo).
Tommy van der Loo came into contact with art at a fairly young age because of his father, Frank van der Loo, whom mainly became known as an artist in public space.
He made several sculptures in Curaçao, such as the Frater monument in Otrobanda, and the ceramic plaque of Punda at the Sint Anna Bay.
Van der Loo studied the art of sculpture at the Academy of Visual Arts in Tilburg and art history at Radboud University in Nijmegen after which he established himself as an autonomous artist and has exhibited his work in various museums in the Netherlands,
including the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague and De Pont in Tilburg.
In 2024, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen purchased two sculptures by Van der Loo,
Intouchable 1 and 2, which currently form part of the recently opened exhibition titled ‘OMKIJKEN’ in the depot.