Nelson Carrilho
by Onelia Helene · 5 min read
Nelson, who welcomed us into his cultivated space, describes the way to channel African Humanism and the Black Body. To him, chains are what humanity cannot carry, and only those with humanity use their voice as power. He does it with his work.
Hi Nelson. Thank you for joining us today. So, to start off, can you tell me a little bit more about yourself?
I came from Curaçao, right? I was born there in 1953. As a family, we came to Holland in the 1960s. In 1964, because of the economic situation in Curaçao, we had to leave as a family and migrate, actually. My family was looking out the better goods for the children, better education for the children. So, we came here in 1964. And I did do the necessary schools here. And then in 1975, I went to an art academy. So, I studied sculpture in 1975. and in 1980, I started as a professional sculptor. And in 1982, I had a studio from 82 and now. I was a professional, let’s say, sculptor. But sculpting was more a voice of deep ancestral knowledge. That’s it, see it this way. It’s not about making forms or selling. It was a voice that has to be heard in the outdoors. I soon realized, as a child, that the outdoors is not neutral. The outdoors is for certain people, it’s not for the black people.
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