Plantage Accaribo 1913 - 1930

Editor: This photograph, titled *Plantage Accaribo*, was taken sometime between 1913 and 1930 by Theodoor Brouwers. It looks like a landscape scene in tones of gray. What jumps out at me is how dense the foliage looks. How do you interpret this work? Curator: What strikes me is how this seemingly benign landscape masks a history of colonialism and exploitation. We see what appears to be a picturesque scene of a plantation in, presumably, Suriname, given Brouwers’ background. But the "plantage"—the plantation—speaks volumes about power dynamics. What stories do you think the land holds, particularly when framed by this history of colonial enterprise? Editor: It's interesting to think about the stories the land holds... The photograph romanticizes it almost, right? But really it’s a site of forced labor. Curator: Precisely. Photography of this era often served colonial interests, portraying an exoticized and easily exploitable landscape. Note the figures; presumably the plantation owners, seemingly observing their land. How does this image play into the existing visual rhetoric of the period regarding race and power? Editor: It almost feels like it's promoting this idyllic idea of plantation life, obscuring the violent realities. But knowing that it was part of that propaganda...It's eye-opening! Curator: Yes! Considering this work critically demands we look beyond the aesthetic and consider its place in the broader history of colonial representation. It is the lens through which we consider the legacy and ongoing impact on historically oppressed communities. It really underscores how looking at something pretty can open up so many ideas. Editor: Exactly, art isn't always just about what's on the surface!