inwijding van het nieuwe gebouw van het Koninklijke Koloniaal Instituut te Amsterdam 1927

This is Jacob Jan van Goor’s commemorative medal for the inauguration of the Royal Colonial Institute in Amsterdam. Its circular form and the relief details remind me of process: how each strike of the die transforms the metal. There’s a tension here between the architecture’s solidity and the ephemerality of the medal itself. The Institute's facade is meticulously rendered; each window and brick suggests permanence. Flip to the other side, and you find an inscription surrounded by foliage. I see the phrase, "Het daghet in den Oosten," or, "The day dawns in the East." These words and their botanical frame strike me as both aspirational and deeply ironic, given the history of Dutch colonialism. Van Goor was a medalist, not necessarily a radical. Yet, like any artwork, this object invites multiple interpretations. It’s a celebration, but also a historical marker, isn’t it? One that prompts us to consider the complex relationship between progress, representation, and the legacies of empire.