In Memoriam
In memoriam Huibert van Dorp 1949 – 2024
The paintings, cards and tiles in and around the bunker and subsequently at Waterkant as well, are made by Huibert van Dorp, www.hvandorp.nl. I do not know where to start describing Huibert. He never defined himself as an artist, which of course he was, because he didn’t want to associate himself with the -pretentious- art world. He called himself type setter.
Huibert often worked outside, in front of his house from his pink bench at his self made desk. Calligraphing, attracting passers by, neighbours and who ever. Everybody started talking to him, he told me he soon learned how to continue working, while listening. Later he became quite deaf and just didn’t put his hearing device. At the end of the day we gathered to have beer and bites.
At St Maarten’s, he opened his house for the traditional children’s festival celebrated every year on November 11. Children walk through the dark evening carrying homemade lanterns, going door to door, singing special songs, and receiving sweets or fruit in return. Huibert started by filling 30 bags of candy, but in the years that followed, he soon needed as many as 120. Children loved being surrounded by all the little lights, paintings and objects when they had to sing their mandatory songs
Every year at the end of September he organized an open studio, I think I took Ronin van Gastel for the first time there in 2021. I left quite early but Ronin stayed untill the end, having had round tours through the big building – a former school- and chats with Huibert’s neighbours. The following morning, Huibert asked: ‘Who was that?’ I said: ‘Rover but then Ronin.’ Huibert and me never needed much words to understand each other. Rover was the son of an old friend of his, who frequently stayed over on a too short green couch, when he was in his teens. Complaining about the seven or eight cuckoo clocks chiming in Huibert’s appartment during the night.
Huibert and Ronin also became friends. And as an hommage to Huibert van Dorp, Ronin and his posse called their Instagram account @dooorp, dorp is village in Dutch. As you can see they are using his typography, paintings and objects in their communication. As we -www.dewaterkant.nl- have been doing mostly off-line since 1996, when we opened @debootjes. Even before the posse was born.
The first one from 1996:
I cannot draw at all and asked Huibert to make a postcard which we could use as hand out. He asked me to make an example, which was ugly but had all the elements needed and a few days later Huibert showed me this one. Even after 30 years I am still proud of it.
Huibert & his stepdaughter and heiress Danielle rock and roll dancing
Huibert didn’t like to travel by plane nor car. He had collectors in the US to whom he went regularly by cargo ship, a three week journey in which he always made friends on board, from the captain to the often Filippino deckhands for whom he made unique postcards. Often the captain would give him a seperate luxurous cabin in which he would make paintings on huge nautical chards When Danielle’s son was three years old, he called them from Canada and the little boy said: ‘Opa Huib, Opa Huib, Waar ben je nou?’ -‘Grampa Huib, Grampa Huib, Where art thou?’ Immediately he wanted to return back home, to be with the grandchildren.
At the moment my desktop is full of Huibert pictures. We could make complete website. But that’s what Danielle and her brother Thomas are doing as we speak, by updating the HvanDorp.nl website.
Huibert van Dorp X Joanna Toetenel, also see 2022, Bunkerexpositie #46
Joanna: When I was 17, I ended up on a date, quite by chance, at ‘de bootjes’ (’the little boats’), a rowing-boat rental and tea house in Westbroekpark, The Hague.
I liked it there so much, and luckily they liked me too, that I ended up working there. (I used to be very shy, which is why I started working in hospitality at 15). All sorts of different people worked there and came by, from politicians to anthroposophists. I thought that was completely wonderful. I learned so much from all those people and got to experience so many great things there. They also always had different guest chefs cooking in different styles, and that’s where I developed my love of food. Every year I still go back to help out with a party or just to cook a dinner every now and then. Those people have become family.
Now here it comes. That toilet was always a big thing. The walls were tiled with special hand-painted tiles made by the resident artist. Those tiles had the names of staff members and beloved regular guests on them. Ever since I was 17, I’ve wanted one of those little tiles so badly. I’ve wanted a tile like that for 21 years now, 21 years. My Goodness. It’s a big thing.
Now, the day before yesterday, the owner of de bootjes sent me a message saying she’d had a tile made for me by Huibert, the resident artist, and asking whether I wanted to pick it up today in Amsterdam or have her send it to me.
So I’d invited her over for lunch, and I finally got my tile, and got to cook for her for once.
As happy as a kid. My very own bootjes tile. So beautiful.
November, 2020
Huibert’s own favorite painter was James Ensor
In memoriam Petra Roest 1971 – 2017
Petra Roest in 2012
From Petra’s notebook for 3 x Eden, 7 min. 16 mm – Rayke Verhoeven, IFFR 1997
Petra was even taller than me, had a body that made men drool, all tits and ass while walking like a fairy. Besides she was very funny, honest, shameless and would play The Carpenters for days in a row. But the only man she was really interested in was Hans. Who became the father of her daughters. A few years after she had worked with us, she passed by, while a new friend -quite a womanizer- was building a couch. When he saw Petra he lost himself and couldn’t stop trying to get her attention. Mesut and me immediately started to make fun of him, because we had seen this behaviour before, but kind of forgotten the impact she could make on strangers.
In memoriam Coby Kervezee 1958 – 2011
https://www.volkskrant.nl/mensen/zee-van-tafels-in-machinepompgebouw~b9ceb6e7
Theo van Tol
Theo was one of a kind, but I cannot find anything on the internet about him. I am going to ask Peter van den Burg, onze wijkagent -our community police officer-. Theo was the older cousin of Peter.
Peter in uniform, 2024
Theo and me in 2005