Surinaamse Caraïben op een erf in de Saramaccastraat, Paramaribo 1903 - 1910

Hendrik Doijer captured this photographic image, Surinaamse Caraïben op een erf in de Saramaccastraat, Paramaribo, at an unknown date. You see a number of people standing in a yard, the wooden buildings behind them are set amongst palm trees. I can imagine Doijer behind the camera, trying to make a moment stand still, to stop time. What was it like to be there in that place, to see the light, the buildings, the expressions on the faces of the people standing before him? It’s interesting how a photograph can act as a time capsule, a glimpse into another world. There’s a softness in the black and white tonality, and although it isn’t a painting it still has a texture – the graininess of the photograph. I think of other artists who used photography as a means to explore reality. This image is a conversation piece, linking past and present, artist and viewer, prompting one to engage in an ongoing dialogue of what it means to see and to remember.