Kevin Osepa on Beneath a Sacred Street
In the vitrine of SCHUNCK Glaspaleis, the installation Beneath a Sacred Street by Kevin Osepa is on view this summer. In a short video, the artist reflects on the deeply personal layer of the work, which takes place in his home neighborhood Domi Abou on the island of Curaçao.
Osepa brings together a series of Polaroids with transparent textiles, domestic objects and ritual symbolism. He explores how spirituality is present in the everyday life of the island: not always visible, but deeply felt – like a breath, a constant motion.
“The island breathes. It is never still,” he says. “I wondered how I could translate that sensation into the presentation. That’s why I chose transparent textiles, which move with the wind – as if the work appears and disappears.”
The domestic objects in the installation tell their own stories. A small block of ‘blauwsel’ – originally a European laundry product – has acquired a new meaning in Curaçao. “Babies are rubbed with it to protect them from the evil eye,” Osepa explains. “That’s what fascinates me: how a community can give magical meaning to an object. It inspires me to keep looking for new meanings in my own work.”
Watch the video (in Dutch):
Beneath a Sacred Street is on view until 14 September 2025 in the vitrine of SCHUNCK Glaspaleis. Admission is free.