Art Office

Search every year City Archives Rotterdam and CBK Rotterdam artists who observe the city and depict their reflections in drawings: our City Drawing Artists! We are happy to share the City Drawing Artists of 2024: Ainine, Sioe Jeng Tsao, Tânia Alexandra Cardoso and Take-A-Way Collective. It is their challenge to portray the theme of (in)security.

From the jury report:

Ainine
'Ainine is a self-taught draftsman who uses the Bic ballpoint pen as a basis in all his drawings. He lived on the streets for years and knows what cold, hunger, loneliness, helplessness and the feeling of being left out mean. The jury is impressed by his drawings and the way in which he experiences the theme. It is beautiful how he writes about the metaphor of the body for society: “A so-called civilized society that does not admit that it has excluded people is like a sick body that refuses to see its illness. It cannot function healthily.'

Sioe Jeng Tsao
“The experiences as a child of self-employed entrepreneurs have shaped Tsao and deepened her understanding of the challenges many small business owners face. The struggle for survival against the growing dominance of large chains, the constant pressure to make ends meet – these are experiences she knows all too well. Her idea is to focus on the resilience and resilience of the people of Rotterdam in her drawings. She wants to capture the stories of individuals who, despite poverty and uncertainty, show their creativity, perseverance and solidarity.'

Tânia Alexandra Cardoso
'The Rotterdam motto 'Stronger through Struggle' is central to Cardosa's plan. This urban battle cry largely nourishes the city's identity, especially in terms of architecture and urban development. But as is known, there is also a downside, namely in terms of quality of life and the social circumstances of many city residents. She sets out to capture this contrast in narrative drawings. The jury sees this as a strong combination of research and activism, based on personal experiences in the city. Cardosa's drawings take you into the changes to which the city is now heavily subject.'

Take-A-Way Collective
'The jury is enthusiastic about the collective working method and also sees this as an example in the current era. The collage-like effect comes across very strongly and shows that loneliness is enormous when living in poverty. The collective built means that you strengthen your network and thus create the basic conditions to sustain yourself in difficult times. And from there they create – that's very strong.'

View the full jury report here

About the theme of (in)security
Rotterdam is the poorest city in the Netherlands. 15,4% of Rotterdam residents live below the poverty line. What poverty and subsistence (in)security will look like in 2024 is changing and is not always visible. We are convinced that this urgent topic, which directly or indirectly affects many Rotterdam residents and has many faces, needs to be brought into focus. That is why we are asking the City Drawing residents to work on the theme of social security this year.

The resulting drawings will be presented in the Kunsthal Rotterdam. They will then be included in the collection of the City Archives and become part of the Rotterdam Collection.

Image: Ainine