Basic Information

Name: Philip ‘Fifi’ Rademaker, 1944
Place of birth: Curaçao
Based in: Curaçao
Discipline: Painting, poetry, writing, acting, theatre direction, and illustration

EDUCATION

Teacher training in English and French
Self-taught artist; received drawing lessons from Theo van Delft Jansz (1914–2005), in secondary school

BIOGRAPHY

Philip ‘Fifi’ Rademaker (born 1944 in Curaçao) is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, writer, actor, theatre director, and illustrator. Raised in Otrabanda, he later moved to Bandabou, where his great-grandmother built a house in 1881 after gaining her freedom from enslavement at Landhuis Savonet in 1856.
Rademaker creates portraits in pen and ink, cityscapes, landscapes, large abstract paintings, and “material paintings” that transform discarded wood, metal, and other recognizable objects into new realities. His untitled abstract works leave interpretation to the viewer, while color, material, and line connect his abstract and figurative practices. His poetry is distinguished by expressive, lyrical use of Papiamentu, and he has also published essays and short stories.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2024 — Landhuis Bloemhof, Curaçao
2010 — Exploring the Past to Envisage the Future, Curaçao Museum, Curaçao
2009 — Traces, Landhuis Bloemhof, Curaçao

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Ortografia di Papiamentu, comic-strip series (illustrator)
Poetry, essays, and short stories in Papiamentu

AWARDS

2021 — Cola Debrot Prize for Literature
2017 — Tapushi Literario literary award

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Marten