Kunsthal Rotterdam

In response to traumatic events, Marlou Fernanda created the alter ego Nu-Nu. This character takes on organic shapes in her paintings, with the face showing a strong resemblance to Fernanda’s own. In the past she has often felt invisible and unheard. Nu-Nu
gave her something to hold on to and a sense of belonging. Fernanda now wishes to break free from this feeling and is on the verge of letting go of her alter ego. In Kunsthal Light #26 Fernanda wonders why we so desperately want to be noticed by others and why we need the approval of others to be who we want to be. In LIKE ME NOW, EGO DEATH Fernanda visualises the duality between her desire for attention on the one hand, and the question where that desire for attention stems from on the other.

Artist Talk 

A publication featuring the ‘making of’ and an Artist Talk, which will take place at the Kunsthal on Saturday 23 April, are also part of Kunsthal Light. Prior to the Artist Talk, Fernanda will give a performance.

Marlou Fernanda 

Marlou Fernanda (1996) grew up in Rotterdam and is a self-taught visual artist who has been working in a number of different art disciplines for the purpose of telling her story. Her work can be described as figurative, abstract, and colourful, its vibrant colours sharply contrasting with the themes in her work: loneliness, racial inequality, religious convictions, and life questions. Fernanda earlier staged performances at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and FOAM, and she was nominated for NEW WAVE: Creative for 2020 – a list of the 50 most innovative and inspiring young talents around the world – by the British Fashion Council. In 2021 she was named Creative to Watch by Vogue Netherlands.

Kunsthal Light 

‘Kunsthal Light’ is the Kunsthal’s talent development programme. Since 2011, this exhibition programme has specifically focused on young artists who are able to make a ‘broad gesture’ in an original and artistic way. For this purpose, three times a year, the Kunsthal places HALL 6 (the over 25-meter-long display window along the ramp) at the disposal of an artist who is then given free rein to make a site-specific work.