David Bade, 'Calimero', 2013

David Bade, Calimero, 2013
Location: Centrum Den Haag: Spui - Grote Marktstraat - Kalvermarkt
Unveiling: Friday, March 1, 2013

"I am small and they are big, and that’s not fair, oh no."

These are the words of Calimero. This black chick with a half eggshell on its head became a cartoon hit in the early 1960s. Born in a nest with all yellow and larger siblings, it often squeaked about the unfairness of its situation. Re-released several times, children still watch the adventures of this small chick today.

With two stacked figures in tracksuits and wearing a Calimero helmet, visual artist David Bade (1970) refers to the trend of more and more people in our society adopting the passive victim role of Calimero. According to him, his native island of Curaçao also suffers from the Calimero Syndrome.

Bade himself is full of activity. As an artist and also as a co-founder of Instituto Buena Bista (IBB), a platform for contemporary art and education in Curaçao. At 23, Bade won the Prix de Rome for drawing, and a year later, he had his first solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Since then, he has traveled the world with his raw, humorous, and simultaneously critical drawings, sculptures, and installations. Ordinary daily things often serve as his inspiration. For instance, supermarket shelf stackers evoke associations with his work as a painter (filler). He prefers to place such thoughts and inspirations side by side on one canvas or combine them with sculptures into an installation. The associations tumble over each other, just like in your own mind.

The boundless energy of Bade’s work is also evident in his projects for young artists. At IBB, he and fellow artist Tirzo Martha have been offering thirty young talents the opportunity to further develop their creativity annually since 2006. No Calimero Syndrome here!

More info
badeblog.wordpress.com
institutobuenabista.com
AVRO: Art Men