Ongediertebestrijding op bananenbomen op plantage Accaribo te Suriname 1916 - 1930

Curator: This compelling photograph, "Pest Control on Banana Trees on Accaribo Plantation in Suriname", dates from 1916 to 1930. It's a black and white print currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. The photographer is Theodoor Brouwers. Editor: Whoa, what an image! It feels... unsettling. That massive barrel hanging there, smack-dab in the middle, it’s like a bizarre piñata for some strange, tropical harvest. What is going on here? Curator: It is rather striking, isn’t it? The title gives us a clue; the barrel contains a pest control solution intended to protect the banana crop. Think about the colonial context of Suriname at this time; plantations were essential to the Dutch economy. Maintaining productivity was a real preoccupation, as expressed through this staged shot. Editor: Staged, huh? You can feel the colonial gaze lurking beneath that barrel, trying to control nature. I imagine those banana trees rustling, almost defiant, while that massive object hangs precariously between the plantation owners ambition and nature's quiet perseverance. The image looks really menacing, this isn't bucolic paradise, right here... Curator: Precisely. The photograph exists in a nexus of power relations, industrial agriculture and the social hierarchy present at the time. A rather less romantic perspective of "Orientalism" then many would think. The choice of black and white really underscores this by removing colour. Editor: It definitely has that feeling. A kind of imposing monument, devoid of warmth or optimism. A statement... rather than a landscape. As if Brouwers wasn't just documenting but passing judgement. This piece leaves a long shadow. Curator: Indeed. Brouwers offers us a glimpse into the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world, mediated by economics and social power. Editor: I will never look at a banana the same way. Thank you for that!