neighbours

De Doelen welcomes its neighbours from Oude Westen with the photo exhibition ‘Neighbours’.

Spend an afternoon on the Café Marseille terrace or take a seat in front of pet store de Rimboe or ice cream store De Ijssalon and you will get a wonderful impression of the neighbours. Poor, rich, young and old pass by. You find the most beautiful mix of tradition and hip here. There’s laughter, flirting, parading around, gossiping and shopping.

High time to put these very neighbours in the spotlight with a series of portraits by Robin Utrecht. Utrecht and creative producer Mieke van der Linden set up a pop-up studio and welcomed each and every neighbour to de Doelen at the end of last summer.

Robin Utrecht

Photographer Robin Utrecht is well acquainted with de Doelen, the city of Rotterdam and the rest of the world. During the pandemic he captured the Lunchbreak concerts by major talents performing to an otherwise empty Grote Zaal. As a photojournalist he’s always chasing the news and part of a group of photographers who regularly travel with the Dutch royal family on state visits. Curator Mieke van der Linden and Robin Utrecht have worked together on occasion. Preferably on the streets with ordinary people, whom according to the duo never turn out to be that ordinary.

Amina Ali Hussen

‘I’m Somali and have been living in the Netherlands for 33 years now. 10 years ago, I set up Krachtvrouwen van het Oude Westen. In my studio/community centre on the Josephlaan we cook together, make clothes and help each other and our children. We speak the language of love.’

Freek Schell

‘We sell every part of an animal, from head to toe, in our butcher’s shop. Cape Verdeans, Surinamese people, and Chinese people have been shopping here for years, and now Dutch people are re-discovering us. That is thanks to bavette steak and dry aged meat, which is having a moment right now. Our staff is as mixed as our customers.’

Mercedes Jiménez Riocalo

‘Via detours to Madrid and Venlo, I thankfully landed in Rotterdam, a place after my own heart. I am an artist, and my roots are in Spain and Equatorial Guinea, in West-Africa. I love coming to the Kruiskade to get the right product for my hair.’

Dina Duarte da Cruz

‘My real name is Irandina, but everybody knows me as Dina. I was born on the isle of São Vicente, part of Cabo Verde. I’m a real football mom. My 14-year-old daughter Ijara plays with Feyenoord and has been invited by KNVB to train with them. Our whole life revolves around sports!'

Laise Sanches

‘Children and music are what my life revolves around, my two great passions. During the day I work with children who have dropped out of regular education, and homeless youngsters. At night I perform as a singer. I went on tour with Stewart Copeland from the Police.’

Khalid Chennouf

‘I’m originally from Oudja, a town in the north of Morocco. I teach hundreds of neighbourhood kids Muay Thai. They also learn about discipline, and thinking about their future. ‘Clean brains, clean heart, clean body’, that’s my motto. The school has produced a few world champions. My dream is organizing a kids’ boxing gala at de Doelen.'

Abba Divioka

‘I’ve been to de Doelen for a Broederliefde concert, and once to learn how to rap. I love football and play on the street and as a midfielder at Rotterdam United, my team in Delfshaven. When I’m a pro, I want to get to Ronaldo’s level of skill.’

Sharita Bacha

‘We as Surinamese people really love gold. I am a Surinamese-Hindustani jeweler on the West-Kruiskade. At de Gouden Kroon we sell the most beautiful earrings and necklaces, as well as grills to wear on your teeth. Those are very popular now. We can pierce babies’ ears from as early as 2 weeks old and that’s popular also.’

Sybren Bijleveld

‘I studied clarinet at Rotterdam Conservatorium, now called Codarts. I give concerts in people’s homes, which is how I got to know some people with large gardens. Since I started looking after those, I get to call myself a gardener also. Classical music and green are a beautiful combination.’

Daniel van Tiggele

‘I study Fine Arts at de Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in the Hague, after a few years at Willem de Kooning Academy. I want to become a really good artist. Besides art, fashion is on my mind a lot. I work at Café Marseille twice a week and I can wear whatever I like there.’

Shanaz Ahmed

‘I came to the Netherlands from Pakistan when I was 16 years old. I got married over the phone. He was in the Netherlands while I was in my country of birth, with witnesses and an imam on both sites. I have lived here for 35 years now and I’m nuts about Rotterdam. What I love most is to cook, which I do with love for everybody.’

Jorge Manuel-Oliveira Lizardo

‘I’m a Cape Verdean Rotterdammer, born at the former Kraamkliniek on Henergouwerlaan in West. As a musician and storyteller, I ride my bike all over town. The Cape Verdean community is large, and I keep telling their story. I wear a Sumbe hat in honour of freedom fighter Amílcar Cabral.’

Willem ’t Hart

‘I’m from a musical family. My father teaches at Codarts, where I was a student also, and my mother plays the flute. The piano at my home in West belonged to my great grandfather. I work as a fashion model, actor and of course I’m a keyboard player. I play with the singer Naaz, amongst others. My dream is to go on tour in Japan playing my own material.’

Bibi Wohab

‘I came to the Netherlands aged 50, from British Guyana, a country bordered by Suriname to the west. I immediately learned Dutch at four different schools and became a member of de Krachtvrouwen van het Oude Westen. I adore playing bingo, I am the bingo master. We always have great prizes and good food like curried chicken.’

Fengli Bottema

‘I’m taking a gap year after finishing my bachelor’s in medicine and my master’s in public health. I’m pondering whether to get a job in a clinic or do research. The coat I’m wearing is vintage and is part of my research into my identity. I am a volunteer at Adoptiepedia, the interest group for adoptees from Taiwan and China.’

Jos Visser

‘We’ve had our jewelry store, El Dorado, located on the West-Kruiskade, since 1977. Our clientele used to mainly consist of people with a Surinamese background shopping for gold for their dowry. These days it’s much more a mix of customers. People get a kick out of high-end fashion brands like Cartier and Cleef & Arpels. We sell products inspired by these brands.’

Shirin Musa

‘I know the Oude Westen well because my father used to run a shop here. We are Hazaras, originating in Afghanistan. In 2011, I set up Femmes For Freedom, an organisation that fights for bi-cultural women and their right to self-determination. When I met Hillary Clinton at the Vital Voices Festival, I was completely starstruck.’

Esdra Baris

‘My pet store de Rimboe is kind of a community centre of the Oude Westen. Children get to work in my shop as interns and learn how to tidy up, look after the pets and be polite. I rotate my shop window themes: Feyenoord, Halloween, King’s Day. So many people took pictures of the ‘Happy bubbling’ sign in the window during the annual Summer Carnival.’

Jeanette Chin

‘I have created our own target audience for our restaurant, by putting both vegetarian and meat dishes on the menu. That is what makes the place open to everyone. During the day it’s mainly people with office jobs, while at night we get a lot of hipsters in. Football players, musicians, students from Codarts and of course neighbourhood families come and dine here. It’s a real Rotterdam melting pot.’

Geert-Jan Renzen

'20 years ago, back when I was designing my own fashion collections, I realized that I was more suited to styling for advertising and fashion shoots. I happily did that for years. We even once did a show at the Louvre with Balenciaga. These days I prefer working in real estate, from my ship in Delfshaven.'

Vesna Kostic

'I’m Serbian and have been living near the Kruiskade for the last 33 years. They all call me ‘Buurvrouw’. My bird Liki is 14 years old, she’s an agapornis roseicollis. When my first bird had died, I cried and cried until I was given Liki by the pet store as a present. When I go out for a walk, I often carry her in my bra.’

Remus van Rijn

‘I’m in my 5th year at the Rotterdams Lyceum and I’m really into electronic music. The electronica duo Autrechre, from the English town of Rochdale, make really cool music. I compose a lot of music on my keyboard and synthesizer at home. Sometimes I will listen to music for 12 hours on end.’

Vuyelwa Vellem

‘I wear a mix of Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele dress. All three are people of South-Africa, my country of birth. I like to wear these clothes all the time, but not when I’m working as an order picker in Pendrecht. I do wear them when I go shopping for tasty snacks for my hamster on the West-Kruiskade, though.’

Alaa Assani

‘I learned the tailoring craft from my father in Aleppo. I started helping him at his workshop at the age of nine. I have lived in the Netherlands for nine years now and my shop at Tiendplein is doing well. We have customers from all over, because we can make and repair anything, even bridal wear. Recently I set up my own clothing line called ASSAN.’

colophon

Photographer Robin Utrecht| Curator Mieke van der Linden | Scouts Michelle Rath and Mieke van der Linden | Production Marieke Holtes | Text Mieke van der Linden | Translation HaasTaal | Design & production frames Leen Brand | Technique Harry Speksnijder and Tommy Westrik Broeksma | Consultants Vincent Sturkenboom and Christian Igesz | Marketing & Communication Megan van der Meer, Linsey Klapwijk and Dorine Verharen | Fundraising Cisca van Beek and Emmy van Arent | Portraits Profotonet | Brochure Groenprint | Models Vesna, Abba, Laise, Sybren, Mercedes, Jos, Sharita, Amina, Vuyelwa, Jorge, Remus, Fengli, Geert-Jan, Alaa, Freek, Willem, Jeanette, Dina, Daniel, Shanaz, Shirin, Khalid, Esdra and Bibi.

This exhibition is made possible thanks to the support of Mr. August Fentener van Vlissingen Fonds and de Doelen vrienden