Authenticity
Ruud Van Empel’s juxtaposition of Victorian or Edwardian-style European clothing—the burgundy dress with white lace collar—on what we assume is an African child creates a striking visual tension that speaks to complex histories of cultural displacement and colonial legacy. This styling choice evokes the era when European colonial powers imposed their cultural norms, including dress codes, on colonized populations. The transformation of dress was never merely about clothing—it was a systematic attempt to reshape identity itself. The Victorian-era dress embodies an entire colonial ideology that viewed European customs as inherently superior and “civilizing.” Children were often forcibly separated from their families and communities, placed in institutions where traditional dress, languages, and customs were forbidden. The European clothing became a uniform of cultural erasure, a daily reminder of displacement from ancestral ways of being.
These sartorial impositions were particularly traumatic because clothing in many African cultures carries deep spiritual and social significance—patterns, colors, and styles often communicate clan membership, spiritual beliefs, rites of passage, and connection to ancestors. To strip children of traditional dress was to sever these cultural threads, leaving them suspended between worlds: too changed to fully return home, yet never truly accepted in the colonial society that had reshaped them. The natural world in the background—abundant, wild, and authentically African—stands in stark contrast to the rigid, structured European garment that constrains the child’s form. This opposition suggests the tension between imposed colonial structures and indigenous ways of being that remain vital and present. The green abundance represents not just nature, but cultural authenticity and ancestral connection—the living world that existed before colonial intervention and continues to thrive despite it.
The democratizing power of nature operates alongside these deeper narratives of cultural identity. While access to many childhood experiences depends on economic privilege, and while historical impositions continue to influence how children move through the world, the fundamental ability to connect with the natural world—to find joy in discovery and marvel at growing things—remains one of humanity’s most essential experiences. The garden becomes not just a space of wonder, but a place where authentic identity can persist and flourish despite the weight of imposed cultural narratives.
What do you think about this piece?
Artwork: Rudd Van Empel
Alyssa brings this piece to life through her words.
Truly enjoyed reading and reflecting on this article and how it details the artwork. Perfection is truly in the eyes of the observer as is often the case in the world of art. Great job by the article’s author.