Felix de Rooy: Art in the face of Empire

In this episode of the Dash Arts Podcast, we delve into the life and work of the Curaçaoan-born Dutch artist, filmmaker and director Felix de Rooy. Originally planned as a live Dash Café back in April (cancelled due to the pandemic), we had hoped to explore Felix’s work in a discussion with visual artist Charl Landvreugd and a panel of playwrights from the BOOM! Project, a Dutch-British theatre initiative examining and challenging colonial history and narratives.

In many ways, we’ve done one better with this podcast. Not only did we get all of these fantastic guests, but we also got Felix himself, theatre director Ernestine Comvalius and artist Neske Beks alongside Charl and playwrights Jude Christian, Gable Roelofson and Enver Husicic, making for a jam-packed episode.

Described as “a source for all black arts in the Netherlands”, Felix’s work has been pivotal in reframing the narrative of Dutch identity - particularly the Netherlands’ relationship with its colonial history - and the legacy of the slave trade. Despite all this, chances are you haven’t heard of Felix de Rooy. Join Dash Arts Artistic Director Josephine Burton to explore why, going on a journey through Felix's work and exploring the lasting impact of racism and colonialism in the Netherlands and in the shaping of the European cultural narrative.

Hear Ernestine Comvalius’ State of Theatre poem Level Up! (which she performed at the opening of Nederlands Theater Festival in September 2020) on our website here

Music Credits:

Piauw Piauw by Max Woiski (2014)

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