Teapot by Anne Mercedes Langhorst

The Teapot was an assignment asked by Alliantie West-Kruiskade (led by Ron van Gelder at that time) for the Stitching Humanitas building. The idea was to have something that represented everyone from the Oude Westen and made feel inclusion and connection between the many existing cultures, which is a perfect theme for a place like the West-Kruiskade and for an artist like Anne-Mercedes.

Mercedes thought an excellent way to connect all these different cultures was to represent something that would give that sensation. She chose a giant teapot, symbolizing the social gathering moment around drinking tea and its transversal to every culture. Although most societies have always had the act of having tea for social moments, it is an even more common practice for cultures like the Chinese, Turkish, and Moroccan, which are the ethnicities in more significant numbers in the area. To add an extra spark to the idea of the Teapot, Mercedes chose a typically Dutch pattern, the Delftsblauw. Originating with inspiration from the Ming vases during colonial times, this style of tile/pottery mescals Asian elements (like the peacock and the flowers) with mainly Dutch references, such as the boats, the windmills, and the cows.

The material is hardboard plastic, often used by outdoor companies, which Mercedes appealed to make her project come to life. Some years later, it added neon lights for an extra bright, which Central Lights did. This specialized company also does other artistic installations with neon.

About the artist:

Anne Mercedes was born in Lima, Peru, but started living in the Netherlands when she was still a baby. Raised by a Dutch family while being from Peru at such a young age (2 years old, when she couldn’t have memories), it made her struggle with her identity. It took her through the concepts she explores the most in her art: authenticity and connection with her roots. Using art as a process of self-discovery, she showed from a young age to be a creative and artistic child. Although her parents disagreed with her pursuing arts as a career, she studied at the art academies in Antwerp and Rotterdam. She graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts. Mercedes says she never learned drawing rules, so she does it directly from her heart.

You can expect spontaneous creations that involve a lot of different expressions, such as performance, poetry, art in the public space, paintings, and more. Her poetry and illustrations often showcase stories of animals made by different animal parts or half-person/half-animal characters that relate to her, as she feels a mix of different contexts/backgrounds. In Rotterdam, besides Theapot, she also has another public art, a monument dedicated to Tuckinski, a story you can learn by reading the interview and clicking here. Anne Mercedes projects authenticity and connection in her art so we can also be free of being happy in our skin.