Description
Kretek is a portrait of Eva Margaretha’s grandfather, drawn in charcoal on linen. He migrated from Indonesia to the Netherlands and, against his own wishes but at the insistence of his wife, entered military service. Instead of being placed in a contract boarding house, he stayed with family at Bronbeek, a site that later came to symbolize military memory and colonial legacy.
What moves Margaretha is the physical resemblance between her grandfather and her older brother: the same facial features, the same posture and the same habit of smoking. A small detail that repeats across time: a photograph of her grandfather as a child holding a cigarette, later as a young adult in Dutch military uniform, and again in the next generation.
In Kretek, history becomes visible not through events, but through bodies, gestures, and habits. The portrait reveals how experiences and adaptations continue quietly across generations, often without words.
Charcoal on linen
Aprox. 250 × 100 cm
The artworks are part of the solo exhibition by Eva Margaretha at Galerie Wind, Rotterdam, from 15 February to 15 March. Opening: 15 February at 3 pm. The works will be available after the exhibition.
