Shadows on the Atlantic

Since Friday, 27 September, The National Maritime Museum presents the exhibition Shadows on the Atlantic. This new permanent exhibition demonstrates how maritime history, colonial violence, and slavery are inextricably linked, and explores the profound impact these connections have had – and continue to have – on people’s lives and communities. Contemporary art by, among others, Lisandro Suriel and Manuwi C Tokai, along with videos featuring personal stories, offer visitors a new perspective on the Netherlands’ colonial past.

Museum Collection and Personal Stories

In Shadows on the Atlantic, visitors will find loans and objects from the museum’s own collection. The exhibition features paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, alongside items on loan from the North American Onödowá’ga culture. Visitors will also come face to face with a two-metre-long model of the ship D’Keulse Galy. Vessels like this one were used to abduct enslaved people from West Africa to the colonies in the Americas.

This ship model provides a visual representation of such vessels but does not tell the stories of the people on board. To address this, the exhibition includes videos with stories of historical figures and interviews with experts, offering a deeper or perhaps even more profound understanding of the objects in the museum’s collection.

Contemporary Art as Reflection

For Shadows on the Atlantic, The National Maritime Museum collaborated with various artists whose works show how colonial history still resonates today. The exhibition includes photographs and a new film by Lisandro Suriel, who explores the shared African identity of the descendants of enslaved people. Artists Atong Atem, Manuwi C Tokai, Robin Hoed, and Wouter Pocornie have also created new works specifically for this exhibition.

het scheepvaart national maritime museum

Postbus 15443, 1001 MK Amsterdam
Kattenburgerplein 1, Amsterdam