Apologies & Atonement: Sofia Hernández Chong Cuy (What’s In A Name?)

In our final episode of Apologies & Atonement, we look at a local example of institutional apologies and speak with Sofia Hernández Chong Cuy, director of Kunstinstituut Melly. Since 2018, Sofia is the director of Melly, the institution formerly known as Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam. Witte de With is a name attached to the colonial legacy of the Netherlands and has been a subject of contention in the Dutch art world.

In this episode, we speak with Sofia about the institutional transformation that comes with a name change, how she and her team navigated the politics inside and outside of the institution, and the role that humour should have in the art sector.

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell
Produced by Hans Poel
Theme music by Sro - Bring Back and Chad Crouch - Algorithms

References:
Kunstintituut Melly
Open letter to Witte de With
White Innocence - Gloria Wekker
“My Body Does Not Exist” - Paul Preciado