Rogier Boon, Euro Asian Graphic Designer

Rogier Boon was born in 1937 in Meester Cornelis (Batavia, Dutch East Indies; now Jatinegara in Jakarta). On June 19th 1954, on his 17th birthday, he and his father, stepmother, brother and sisters arrived in the Netherlands.

As a journalist and activist, his father Tjalie Robinson (pseudonym of Jan Boon) started almost immediately with the opposition against the compulsory assimilation policies of the 1950-s. For him, being an "Indo" did not mean "consisting of two halves" but having double baggage: East and West. In his opinion, mixed cultures formed a promise and his message to the East Indies community was: Make it happen!

The influence of Tjalie Robinson has unquestionably been paramount in Rogier's choice to give the East Indies a modern face. Almost daily he was fed arguments why the East Indies wasn't passé, and shouldn't be allowed to become passé. Rogier was always looking for a modern, authentic East Indies, new style. Thanks to a great artistic talent he was able to illustrate the things his father could put into words.

Rogier has let himself be inspired by traditions from various Asian regions and other mix-cultures such as the Mexican culture. An often recurring design is the tree (of life) which Rogier has depicted in his very own way, in many different variations.

For the East Indies magazine "Tong Tong", published in The Netherlands and the "The Hague Pasar Malam" Rogier has made daring and refined designs. His involvement in the East Indies culture perhaps played a big part in this, but also the fact that he was his own client: his artistic freedom was, aside from financial restrictions (such as choice of material and number of print colors), unlimited.

This exposition about the illustrator and designer Rogier Boon has been put together with the conviction that his work is timelessly beautiful. You don't have to have an East Indies background to see that.  The Tong Tong Foundation hopes that it will inspire visitors!

Friday, March 9 – Wednesday, April 11

Exhibition Rogier Boon, Euro Asian Graphic Designer

Opening hours:

Monday - Thursdag     09.00 - 16.00

Friday                          09.00 - 14.00

Saturday                      09.30 - 12.30

Free admission

Date: 8 March 2007 - 11 April 2007

Location

Erasmus Huis