Basic Information

Name: Elis Juliana, August 8, 1927- 23 June 2013
Place of birth: Willemstad, Curaçao
Discipline: Poetry, literature, visual art, and archaeology

EDUCATION

1960s — Course in Venezuela on the use of pointillist drawing techniques to document archaeological objects

BIOGRAPHY

Elis Juliana (1927–2013) was a Curaçaoan poet, writer, visual artist, and archaeologist. He wrote poetry, short stories, and haiku and was particularly known for rhythmic poems shaped by the cadence of the tumba. He represented Curaçao in international exhibitions through sculpture and painting. In his pointillist drawings, a technique he developed after training in Venezuela during the 1960s, he addressed social injustices and problems observed in the community. His coral-stone sculptures were more tender in character, often presenting women as bearers of life. Since 2020, Juliana and Paul Brenneker have been included in the Canon of Curaçao as pioneers in cultural heritage for collecting and documenting the knowledge of older generations.

EXHIBITIONS

2007 — Haiku in the Light of Animal, Gallery Alma Blou, Curaçao
2004 — Galeria di Artista 3, Kas di Alma Blou, Curaçao
2002 — Exhibition of pen drawings, Kas di Alma Blou, Curaçao
1994 — Juliana retrospective exhibition, organized by Cifa, World Trade Center, Curaçao
1992 — Exhibition, Gallery Bloemhof, Curaçao
1981 — Exhibition of miniature pen drawings, Carifesta, Barbados
1980 — Exhibition of miniature pen drawings, museum in Rijswijk, the Netherlands
1977 — Exhibition of miniature pen drawings, National Gallery, Jamaica
1973 — São Paulo Biennial, Brazil
1972 — Sculptures in coral stone and pen drawings, Gallery Bloemhof, Curaçao
1972 — Group exhibition, Carifesta, Guyana
1968 — Painting under the Antillean Sun, Sticusa, the Netherlands
1967 — Sculptures in coral stone, Curaçao Information Centre, New York
1965 — Sculptures in coral stone, Cultural Center Curaçao

Selected Publications regarding art

Galeria di Artista 3. Gallery Alma Blou. ISBN 99904-0-547-6.

AWARDS

2013-Honorary Doctorate
2008-Silver Carnation
2001-Tapushi di Oro
Premio José María Heredia, Cuba
Krus di Mérito Kórsou
Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
1976-Sticusa Prize, recognizing his distinctive use of the rhythmic and phonological qualities of Papiamentu
1973-Cola Debrot Prize for outstanding achievement in the visual arts