Abdalla Ajaj

Earlier this year the third season of Project Rembrandt was transmitted on Dutch TV. The show is a search for the best amateur painter in the Netherlands. One of the contestants this season was Abdalla Ajaj. Abdalla, who was born in Libya, has a degree in geology, and has lived in The Hague for six years. He reached the final of the competition.

Abdalla is inspired by friendship, Dutch art and culture, and cultural differences. “The past and future are always linked. I came to this country alone from Libya. The differences are very big, so things were very difficult at first. But this new country has always helped me, just like my best friend, who was always there for me when times were hard. That’s all behind me now, and it’s shown on the right in the painting. The Netherlands is the swan, which protects me. But the swan is also my friends, because they also protect me. And I am a proud Libyan now standing tall, with my own place in the Netherlands, while keeping my own culture and my own values. I grew up in Libya but was inspired by Dutch culture and Rembrandt’s The Standard Bearer. And I feel supported and protected by someone who is there for me.”

The painting ‘The Beauty of Friendship and Cultural Difference’ is on show at Kunstmuseum from 13 till 29 May.