Yubi Kirindongo (1946), was born on Curaçao in Wishi Marchena, a working class district beneath the exhaust from the Shell oil refinery. He never knew his father.
While his mother worked for a living, Yubi wandered around the neighborhood looking for adventure and did not go to school. When he was nineteen he left for Amsterdam as a stowaway on a Swedish freighter with a sample book in his pocket.
After nine months of sailing through Europe and many new impressions, Yubi arrived in Amsterdam where he ended up on the margin of the Dutch society. His rage against discrimination drove him to the limit when he had a violent confrontation as he and his friends were refused entry to a nightclub because of their skin color. The interior was destroyed completely and Yubi was sentenced to nine months in prison. There he experienced another confrontation. It was art and he started to paint.
Teaser of the documentary about artist ‘Yubi Kirindongo’ from Caribbean Filmcom N.V.on Vimeo.
In 1976, Yubi came back to Curaçao together with his Dutch wife Kitty Ros. With a cargo of discarded chromium car bumpers he created unique sculptures with which he became famous. His bumper art was considered as innovative and art lovers from the high society were surprised by his work. Everybody wanted a Yubi Kirindongo.
Additionally he created unique art with a variety of industrial wastes, as well as from organic material such as animal skulls, driftwood, coral and rusty iron. In 1997 Yubi Kirindongo received the prestigious Colá Debrot prize for the visual arts of Curaçao.
Abroad, he has participated in many group exhibitions, including the 5th Biennial in Havana, the XXII Biennial of São Paulo and the 1st Biennial in Johannesburg, which gave him international fame.
In the largest sculpture park in the world, in Changchun China, Curaçao is represented by a sculpture created by Yubi.
The rebel of Wishi Marchena became an icon for new generations. While he has demonstrated that art promotes social cohesion and that it is to many a powerful inspiration.
Source: https://mycaribbeanscoop.com/curacao/yubi-kirindongo-art-passion-living-life-terms
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