Born in Suriname, Maikel Deekman moved to Amsterdam when he was 9 years old. After years of working as a instructor  with a graphic background, Maikel Deekman, in his own words, “took the plunge” and started the part-time DOGtime course at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. Maikel Deekman: ‘It was always my wish to go to Art Academy, I wanted to rediscover my creativity, and in retrospect, I didn’t realize that such an education would allow me to examine how I present myself to the world with all those different references within me‘. 

His story starts with the African Diaspora and his roots in Surinamese culture. His DNA comes from a place he knew little about, while he always carries the story of his ancestors with him. That may need to be explained. There is a 4th dimension in Surinamese culture. You could explain that as: the realm of the dead. We believe that as a human being you can go back and forth between those two dimensions. The living world is not separate from that of the dead, they actually form one whole. Where in the Western world ‘science’ and ‘economy’ are central. In Africa, the bond with nature and your ancestors is important. He consists of the two worlds. He’s in between. That is why this is also reflected in his work. Linking themes from those two worlds within one work makes his work exciting. It’s not usual. Sometimes it may not be understood because of that. But that’s not a bad thing either. He believes it is important to give people the freedom to form their own interpretation of his work.

He believes that art should be close to himself as a creator. He cannot make something “that is only beautiful”. He must feel an urge to create the work. That he is inspired by his African and Surinamese background in his work; is a win-win situation for him. He gets to know himself better, while also getting inspiration for new work. He certainly does not close himself off to his Western background. It is not without reason that he has a feeling for graphic design. He also draws inspiration from technology and the abstract, geometric works of Dutch artists such as Piet Mondriaan and Theo Doesburg.

Education
Gerrit Rietveld Academy, DOGtime; Unstable Media, Amsterdam (2016-2021)
Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Orientation Year, Amsterdam (2015-2016)
Graphic Lyceum, Graphic Design, Amsterdam (1993-1996)

Publication
Thesis; Fabric to Connect, a research of the connections between fabric patterns, culture, and art
[Gerrit Rietveld Academie, 2021]
Deekman’s thesis, “Fabric to Connect” (a research of the connections between fabric patterns, culture, and art), is not only an overview of the textile industry and textile trade in various parts of East, West, and North Africa over the past 2,000 years, but also an investigation into the origins and meaning of fabric patterns, particularly those of the Maroons. Maroons are the descendants of enslaved African men and women brought to the Americas. They settled, free from the plantations, and established their own culture. Many Maroons have since merged with surrounding societies. In Suriname and the border region with French Guiana, the Maroons remain a distinct group with a still recognizable, distinct culture. Their religion, a polytheistic blend of Winti and Catholicism, partly uses cloths with distinctive fabric patterns to imbue certain rituals with meaning and, where necessary, to provide spiritual strength. Sometimes cloths are used that are already pre-printed with the appropriate patterns, while other times the fabrics, or even pieces of fabric, are pieced together, resulting in a patchwork with a more unique pattern of squares, diamonds, stripes, and triangles. These cloths or fabric patterns are used at weddings, funerals, or to help with illness.

The thesis also focuses on Ubuntu. Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. Ubuntu is best summarized by the saying: “Someone is someone through other people.” It is a way of life that values relationships and community.

The thesis “Fabric to Connect” (a research of the connections between fabric patterns, culture and art) is, with the exception of the Preface and Conclusion, constructed entirely from quotations and can be regarded as a textual fabric pattern, a textual patchwork.

Acknowledgement
January 2026- TV NPO 2- Kunstmagazine. Wi Sranan. Surinaamse kunst in beweging.

January 2026- Newspaper fd – Bezielde kunst uit een turbulent land

January 2026- Newspaper Volkskrant Magazine – Cultuur- De Marrons

December 2025- Book – Michiel van Kempen – Zwarte Pracht
cultuur uit de voormalige Nederlandse koloniën

November 2025- Newspaper NRC – , In drie exposities van Surinaamse Kunst
staat thema ‘herkomst’ centraal

June 2025- City Newspaper Staatskrant – Ik zie kleur; Textiel met traditie

May 2025- Surinamese newspaper De Ware Tijd – Kunstinstallatie ‘Kibri a rutu fu yu culturu
(Keep the Roots of your Culture) ode aan de pangi (fabric pattern) als erfgoed

September 2024- Magazine Gonzo Circus – Maikel Deekman – Diaspora en spreadsheets

February 2024- Magazine Metropolism M – First issue of 2024

June 2022- City Newspaper Amsterdamsdagblad – ‘No milk today’ voor kunstenaar Maikel Deekman

July 2021 City Newspaper Het Parool – ‘Terug naar de natuur’ met de de 2021-lichting van de Gerrit Rietveld Academie

Solo Exhibitions
June 2025- September 2025
Art trajectory display in the Zeeheldenbuurt, Amsterdam – I See Color

Group Exhibitions
December 2025- March 2026
Slot Zeist –
Zwart pracht- Beeldende kracht uit de Cariben

November 2025- March 2026
Museum Cobra, Amstelveen –
Wi Sranan

November 2025
Vrij Paleis, Amsterdam
Paint

July 2025- August 2025
Stadsherstel, Amstelkerk Amsterdam – Surinaamse Maanden – Amsterdam 750

February 2025- May 2025
Residency, Tembe Art Studio
Moengo Suriname

December 2024- June 2025
Schiphol, New Dutch Horizon

May 2024- June 2024
ARTI ET AMICITIAE, Amsterdam, 1+1=1

April 2024- October 2024   
Ministerie van OCW, Revolte: in verzet tegen slavernij

November 2023
UNFAIR23, Gashouder Amsterdam – New perspectives

June 2023
Springboard Art Fair, Werkspoorkathedraal Utrecht –
Graduated during the pandemic

June 2023- July 2023
Stadsherstel, Amstelkerk Amsterdam – Surinaamse Maanden –
Als de taal van een bruisend land- 8 kunstenaars in relatie tot Suriname

March 2023- April 2023
Centrum Beeldende Kunst (CBK), Zuidoost Amsterman –
Local Heroes 2023

November 2022- January 2023     
Ron Mandos Young Blood Foundation, Amsterdam –
Tweede Kamer Tentoonstelling ‘The Best of Graduates”

December 2022
[re]Discoveries, Loods 6 Amsterdam

October 2022
Kunst10daagse, Bergen aan Zee – Artists aan Zee VI

July 2022- October 2022
Provincie Noord-Holland, Paviljoen Welgelegen Haarlem –
Verborgen Noord-Holland –

June 2022
BIG ART 2022, Hembrugterrein Zaanstad

May 2022
OBJECT 2022, Rotterdam

March 2022- May 2022
ARTI ET AMICITIAE, Amsterdam – Sprouts 2022

October 2021- February 2022
ARTwell Residencies, Startwell Amsterdam –
Window Openers

October 2021
Stichting Beeldende Kunst (SBK), Loods 6 Amsterdam-
Sprout Young Talents 2021 – Best Graduates

September 2021 – February 2022
OSCAM AIR x HvA, Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA Fraijlemaborg)           

September 2021
Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Zuidoost (CBK Heesterveld) Amsterdam –
Anansi exhibition

July – August 2021
Galerie Ron Mandos, Amsterdam – Best of Graduates (BOG)