Café The Buccaneer
Vesta Kroese

Café The Buccaneer is a long-standing neighborhood bar in Charlois, deeply rooted in the local community. Its pirate-themed interior reflects Rotterdam’s maritime history and the enduring presence of the port in the area’s identity. The café’s bartender, Carola, served as the inspiration for the title of this year’s edition, linking the event to the everyday social life of the neighborhood. Until recently, the artists’ community of Charlois would gather here for karaoke nights, a tradition that has since come to an end due to complaints from an upstairs neighbour.

The film by Vesta Kroese refers to her work Hier / Daar, originally installed between 2011 and 2016 as two identical neon signs on the façades of the Maastunnel’s ventilation buildings in Rotterdam. Day in and day out, these two identical structures faced each other across the river Maas, having witnessed the movement of people between north and south Rotterdam for more than seventy-five years. When one side read HIER (here), the other became DAAR (there) — neither one remaining always here, nor always there. The installation aimed to amplify the quiet conversation the two buildings conduct with one another across the water.

At other festival locations — Rib, Rivoli Attractiepark, and Art Rotterdam — Hier / Daar appeared in different formats: two sketches and a maquette.

Artwork:
Vesta Kroese, Hier / Daar (film), 2016