Congolese art collective CATPC makes its debut on the Amstel with a new exhibition: The Land of Sprinkles. Building a new world together.
Product with a downside
The Netherlands is known as the land of chocolate sprinkles on bread. However, what is an everyday product for many Dutch people has a dark side: cocoa, sugar, and palm oil are often produced on plantations where people and nature pay a high price.
The artists of CATPC make this reality visible and explore how things can be done differently. The collective creates sculptures from clay that are cast in cocoa, palm oil, and sugar in Amsterdam using 3D technology.
The exhibition features 30 chocolate sculptures by 23 artists. Each sculpture tells its own story and gives form to themes such as exploitation, inequality, and the resistance of man and nature through a unique visual language. They also offer sharp criticism of contemporary power structures, including the international art world.
A series of embroideries features portraits of resistance fighters, plantation workers, and artists from Haiti, Suriname, Indonesia, Ghana, and Congo, among others. Their shared struggle against colonial exploitation and economic systems is central. At the same time, the portraits serve as a tribute to the plantation workers and their global resistance. The works are embroidered on jute sacks used to transport cocoa.
In addition, a selection of films about the working methods and impact of the collective can be seen, directed by Ced'art Tamasala (CATPC) and artist Renzo Martens.
