Exhibition KINANIK
ORANJESTAD - The National Library of Aruba (BNA) presents an exhibition called KINANIK by artist Steve Francees. This exhibition has 14 paintings created in the Netherlands, Bonaire, and Aruba. KINANIK will be open to the public from February 7 to February 21 in the exhibition hall of BNA Oranjestad. The official opening will be on Thursday, February 6, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
Steve Francees comes from an artistic family and has been surrounded by painting, music, and a fascination with Indigenous history since childhood. At the age of five, his father took him to his first museum, the Escorial in Madrid, where they lived for some time. At fifteen, Steve took theater and improvisation lessons and attended music school until the age of seventeen, focusing on guitar and later piano.
Steve studied Marketing and was able to apply many of his ideas and designs in practice, working for many years in the commercial sector and as a volunteer in neighborhoods with children. His love for art never faded, and he also developed a passion for photography. In recent years, he has returned to painting and mixed media.
In 2013, Steve graduated in Israel with studies in photography, Paleo(proto)-Hebrew, and Biblical Hebrew, but his love for Aruba’s history has always fascinated him deeply.
The KINANIK exhibition will feature paintings of Aruba from around 3000 years ago, archaic sculptures, artifacts, and communication between the mainland and our islands through Indigenous peoples. It will also showcase Aruba's commercial development during the Spanish era in the 1600s, Oranjestad in the 1800-1900 period, and interesting historical figures. History plays a central role in this exhibition, making it highly engaging for anyone interested in art as well as for students.
Additionally, there will be a section dedicated to Aruba’s gold rush, covering its history, maps, and oral stories that are still unknown to many people.
