Khoikhoi 1682 - 1711

Editor: This engraving, titled "Khoikhoi," comes to us from Pieter Schenk, sometime between 1682 and 1711, and it's held at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes me is the way the figures are presented; there's a formality, almost like a staged portrait, despite what I assume is meant to be a natural setting. How do you read the composition? Curator: The formality gets me too; it is as if the artist meticulously recreated them with the same kind of attention one might give classical gods. And Pieter Schenk – his hands were steady! But I always wonder about the "gaze" through which such images are created. The scene becomes, I suspect, a window onto European perceptions more than a mirror reflecting reality for the Khoikhoi people. Does that distinction hit home for you? Editor: Definitely. It feels like we’re seeing them filtered through a European lens, almost as objects of curiosity, rather than as individuals with their own stories. Curator: Precisely. I imagine the narrative crafted here likely prioritized European viewers’ expectations and fantasies about exotic lands, not genuine engagement. Perhaps Schenk aimed to fuel a certain… "thrill" I suspect was of importance in baroque engraving… And there’s that word at the top; is it naming the sitters? That's never a neutral act either, is it? Editor: I suppose not. Names carry so much weight, and the potential for misrepresentation is huge. It definitely shifts my understanding to consider how it would have been seen originally. Curator: And that consideration makes the difference, right? Shifting perspective – maybe that's our collective task. After all, every gaze holds power; acknowledging its origin seems to free us to look again. What a fruitful path to begin on!