Tarona (b. 1985, Curaçao) is an artist and director whose work spans photography and film, seamlessly moving between autonomous and commercial realms. Central to her practice is a deep engagement with identity, human experience, and new perspectives on seeing and being. She is especially committed to creating space for the Black Diaspora, exploring the complexities of belonging to multiple racial and cultural backgrounds while simultaneously uncovering the magic often hidden in the intersections of identity and culture.
She uses photography as an explorative tool, focusing on details, textures, and frameworks to highlight often-overlooked subtleties. In contrast, her approach to film often emphasises the intangible — the emotions, rhythms and atmospheres that elude words. These ways of working and operating are the baseline of Tarona’s natural movement throughout the world; creating a self-coded ‘lingua franca’ — a language used for communication between people who do not share a native language in which she utilizes visual language as the equalizer.
Through her work, she aims to create dialogues around identity and self-expression, seeking to inspire others to embrace their full selves — a commitment she hopes will resonate across time, space and generations.
1985 Born — Willemstad, Curaçao
2024 Living & Working — Rotterdam, NL
Education
2018 Caviar, Traineeship, Film Producer / 2nd & 3rd AD, Antwerp, BE
2017 Willem de Kooning Academy, Bachelor, Photography, Rotterdam, NL
2016 Willem de Kooning Academy, Minor, Critical Studies, Rotterdam, NL
2015 School Of Visual Arts, Colour Correction For Film, New York, USA
2015 All:Expanded, Internship, Film Production, New York, USA
Grants, Nominations & Awards
2022 Berry Koedam, Award, Nomination
2021 Mondriaan Fund, Stipendium Established Artist, Grant
2020 Mondriaan Fund, Stipendium Emerging Artist, Grant
2019 De Kracht Van Rotterdam, Award, Nomination
Filmography
2025 AWA (In development)
2020 Pivot
Festivals & Screenings
2024 Pivot, DWELLER, The Criterion Collection, NY, USA
2024 Pivot, Down The Rabbit Hole Festival, Beuningen, NL
2022 Pivot, Afrikana Film Festival, Richmond, VA, USA
2021 Pivot, Tent Online Cinema, Rotterdam, NL
2021 Pivot, Positively Different Film Festival, Athens, GR
2020 Pivot, 4:3, Boiler Room, London, UK
2020 Pivot, Booooooom TV, Vancouver, CA
Exhibitions
2024 Walk On By, Creative Alliance, Group, Baltimore, MA, USA
2024 40 Jaar Zomercarnaval, Kunsthal, Group, Rotterdam, NL
2023 Everyone An Island After All? (Part II), Group, GAK, Bremen, DE
2023 Hend’i Mundu, Group, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam, NL
2022 Black Cinematic Continuum, Group, ICA at VCU, Richmond, VA, USA
2022 ECOSYSTEM, Duo, Maastunnel, Rotterdam, NL
2022 Art Rotterdam, Prospects, Group, Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam, NL
2021 Worlds Between Words, Group, Showroom Mama, Rotterdam, NL
2020 Natan Collective IV, Group, XBank, Amsterdam, NL
2019 Caribbean Ties, Group, Museon, Den Haag, NL
2019 De Kracht Van Rotterdam, Group, Rotterdam, NL
2018 Photography x Mental Health, Group, SAI, Amsterdam, NL
2018 Typical Girls Magazine, Group, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK
2016 GUP New 2017, Group, 5&33 Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2016 Trespassers W, Group, Wijnhaven Festival, Rotterdam, NL
2016 Unstated (or, Living Without Approval), Group, BAK, Utrecht, NL
2014 Tension, Group, Fenixloodsen, Rotterdam, NL
2014 Bring Your Own Beamer, Group, SingerSweatShop, Rotterdam, NL
2012 JR's Inside Out, Group, HipHopHuis, Rotterdam, NL
2011 Artefact, Group, Bootleg, Rotterdam, NL
Publications & Press
2024 Crack Magazine, Pivot, Social First, UK
2022 Art Rotterdam, #MeetTheArtist, Tarona, NL
2022 Museumtijdschrift, #1, Klimaat, Kleur en Science Fiction, NL
2021 Blender Studio, Black History Month, Pivot, DE
2020 Rotterdam, Postkoloniale Stad In Beweging, Boom Publishers, NL
2020 A Photo Editor, The Daily Promo, Colors, USA
2020 Numeró Netherlands, First Edition Of Natan Collective, NL
2019 NRC, Onalledaagse Beelden Van Leven In De Stad, NL
2019 Algemeen Dagblad, De Achtste Kracht Van Rotterdam, NL
2018 Vice, Deze Fotografen Willen Geestelijke Gezondheid Bespreekbaar Maken, NL
2018 i-D, 8 Jonge Creatievelingen Over Hun Antilliaanse Roots, NL
2018 Typical Girls Magazine, #4 The Typical Issue, UK
2016 GUP, New 2017 (New Dutch Photography Talent), NL
2014 New Dawn, Stills, NL
Speaking
2024 Artist Talk, Walk On By, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD, USA
2024 Panel Talk, Impact Of Visual Culture & Identity, CM x Fotodok, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, NL
2024 Guest, Living Room Session #5 (Memory), Felix Meritis, Amsterdam, NL
2024 RTM Curator, Rotterdams Open Doek, Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam, NL
2023 Panel Talk, In The Black Fantastic, Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam, NL
2023 Guest, Get Well Podcast, Sammie Sedano, Rotterdam, NL
2022 Artist Talk, Afrovisualism, Afrikana Film Fest, Richmond, VA, USA
2022 Guest Speaker, An Afropean Evening With Johny Pitts, De Balie, Amsterdam, NL
2021 Podcast (Women Moving Through Public Spaces), Cultural Embassy, The Niteshop, Rotterdam, NL
2020 Panel Talk, Culture & Solidarity In Times Of Corona, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, NL
2019 Panel Talk, Caribbean Ties, Museon, The Hague, NL
2019 Artist Talk, PictureThis, Museon, The Hague, NL
Teaching
2024 Workshop, Finding The Subject In The World Around You, St Joost, Breda, NL
2023 Workshop, Finding The Subject In The World Around You, St Joost, Breda, NL
2022 Guest Tutor, Ethics & Engagement, Photography, Film & the Digital, St Joost, Breda, NL
2022 Workshop, Finding The Subject In The World Around You, St Joost, Breda, NL
2022 Core Tutor, Photography, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, NL
2021 Core Tutor, Photography, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, NL
2020 Tutor, Critical Dialogues, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, NL
2020 Tutor, Photography, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, NL
2019 Guest Tutor, Photography, Willem de Kooning Academie, Rotterdam, NL
Collections
De Nederlandsche Bank
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
Residencies
2024 Hangar, Lisbon, PT
Related
2024 Jury Member, Jury Prize, Roots Film Festival, Den Haag, NL
2024 RTM Curator, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Rotterdam, NL
2023 Art Director, Hend’i Mundu, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam, NL
2021 Researcher, Urban Researchers Incentive, The Niteshop, Rotterdam, NL
2020 Digital Curator, Black Art Matters, Ello.co, Colorado, USA
2019 Assistant Producer, Caviar, Amsterdam, NL
2018 Assistant Photography, Elizaveta Porodina, New York, USA