Rood Rotterdam 1928-1949

We take a closer look at the residents of Charlois, bringing to life fascinating characters who collectively reveal how the social fabric was organized under the National Socialist civil administration in this district. Our focus is limited to the streets depicted on a 1943 map published by Gemeentewerken Rotterdam.

We take a broad view of the social history of the Linker Maasoever, now known as Rotterdam-Zuid, starting from 1928. The foundation of our exploration is the book Rood Rotterdam (1984), which discusses the pre-war local and international anti-fascist workers' movements of the 1920s and 1930s. Following this path, we uncover traces in archives that demand further research. The first voices from this investigation are presented in the group exhibition A Loud Voice Never Dies.

Clara, a nom de guerre (*born 1917, Zuidhoek, Oud-Charlois), recounts how she witnessed the rise of fascism in the 1930s. Her voice is featured in a sound piece by Clause Sluter, which includes excerpts from an interview with Clara conducted in 1982. She talks about how her experiences, along with the books she read by Nazi ideologues and escaped German political prisoners, prepared her for the years to come, starting from 1935.

The spatial installation BLOK, created by Johan in Hout and Matt Plezier, pays homage to H.W. Blok, a bookseller from Charlois. The installation transforms a space in de Sportschool into a ‘beacon of light in dark times,’ echoing how H.W. Blok envisioned his new bookstore at the Boergoensevliet after the German occupation. He designed the store during the final months of his imprisonment in the Dachau concentration camp, where he was sent for his resistance activities.

Ongoing Research
Our ongoing artistic research uncovers forgotten histories and amplifies voices that might otherwise go unheard—sometimes whispering, other times speaking with vivid resilience, but always rooted in the lived experiences of the city’s inhabitants. It provides an impressive portrayal of the Oud-Charlois neighborhood that challenges the narrative of the Dutch post-war reconstruction era (in Dutch, de Wederopbouw).

The research is an initiative of Claudia Schouten, curator, together with Matt Plezier of the exhibition A Loud Voice Never Dies. Named after the work of Urok Shirhan, one of the participating artists.

With special thanks to the staff of Stadsarchief Rotterdam for making the sound piece possible.