Robert de Hartogh
The fifth edition of Rotterdam Cultural Histories was about the history of the Rotterdam Summer Carnival. The photos that Robert De Hartogh took of the Summer Carnival from 1984 onwards show the birth of a unique burst of creativity, in which cultural, economic, social and political ideas about the city of today come together.
The first edition of the Rotterdam Summer Carnival was held in 1984 and attracted more than 15.000 visitors. Thirty years later it had grown into one of the largest cultural events in the Netherlands, with more than 750.000 visitors. The event has always remained connected to its Caribbean roots. De Hartogh's photos from the early years bear witness to a new, colourful Rotterdam.
Robert De Hartogh (Rotterdam, 1942) is one of the few photographers in the Netherlands who has made the development of economic migration visible since the early seventies. His personal photos of the life of migrant communities have contributed to the image of multicultural Netherlands through numerous publications and exhibitions.
Rotterdam Cultural Histories #5 was compiled by Mariette Dölle and Robert de Hartogh, and was created in response to the exhibitions 'On The Other Side Of Reality' in TENT and 'NO HUMANS INVOLVED' in Witte de With.
Special thanks to: Summer Carnival Foundation, Karel Willems, Rotterdam City Archives.
Rotterdam Cultural Histories
In Shared Space, our shared exhibition space on the first floor, TENT and Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art alternately present presentations on topics from the history of art and culture in Rotterdam. This collaborative project was initiated in 2014 by Defne Ayas (Witte de With) and Mariette Dölle (TENT) to explore the shared roots of both institutions in Rotterdam.