Artist Talk: Michelle Piergoelam, Tessa Leuwsha, Noraly Beyer

On October 29, the AkzoNobel Art Foundation hosted an artist talk with photographer Michelle Piergoelam, writer and filmmaker Tessa Leuwsha, and journalist Noraly Beyer.

Three generations of women with ties to Suriname spoke about overlooked stories, hope and resilience, nature and spirituality, and the influence of migration on their work and lives. The evening included a presentation of Piergoelam's photography alongside fragments from Leuwsha's film Moeder Suriname – Mama Sranan, on the power of heritage and the connections between generations. The conversation was moderated by Noraly Beyer, who also took part in the discussion herself.

Michelle Piergoelam (Netherlands, 1997) is a visual artist and photographer whose work uncovers hidden histories. Work from her ongoing project The Untangled Tales has been shown at the Nederlands Fotomuseum and Museum Hilversum; her series Fourteen Leaves and a Cup of Water is currently on view in Beyond These Walls.

Tessa Leuwsha (Netherlands, 1967) has lived in Suriname since 1995 and works as a writer and documentary filmmaker. Her recent documentary Moeder Suriname – Mama Sranan (2024), built entirely from colourised archival footage, has been screened internationally.

Noraly Beyer (Curaçao, 1946) is a Surinamese-Dutch journalist and presenter, known for presenting the NOS Journaal from 1985. In 2022, together with Ida Does, she made the documentary Het is geen verleden – 08 12 1982.