Allysia van Duijn (they/she) is a curator, scholar, and interdisciplinary artist whose work centers Black diasporic visual culture, archival memory, and liberatory wellness practices within contemporary art. They are currently pursuing an MA in Africana Studies at New York University as a Fulbright Scholar, where their research examines Black European identity, Black women's migration, and exhibition-making as a site of cultural memory and healing.
Allysia has contributed to curatorial projects at Open Space Contemporary Art Museum (Amsterdam), developing exhibitions that platform emerging Black artists and engage the Dutch Black community. Their work draws from grassroots archival research with The Black Archives and The Need for Legacy, integrating historical materials into contemporary curatorial frameworks. Their curatorial practice is grounded in research, collaboration, and public engagement, with a particular focus on centering Black artists within institutional spaces.
Allysia is also a practicing artist inspired by Surinamese woodcraft traditions and laser-cut design. They have developed two main collections: one of wooden corsets and another of wooden headpieces. They hold a BA in Interdisciplinary Social Science from the University of Amsterdam, and a 200-hour Hatha/Vinyasa yoga certification from the School of Yoga.
Recognition in Words (2022)
Recognition in Words is a collection of wooden headpieces designed by Allysia vd. The pieces are inspired by traditional Surinamese wood craft.
Photography by Goldiie, models: Alejandra K. & Vroni Martina.
Black Europe zine (2025)
Black Europe zine highlights and celebrates six Black European creatives.
It comes forth from a scholarly research on Black Europe and is translated in a colorful zine containing interviews with multidisciplinary women, collages, and academic reflections on the ideal of racelessness in Europe. It reflects and captures part of the Black cultural movement happening now.
Front cover image by fashion designer Zhané Smit
Exhibition De Komma
Allysia vd curated the one-day Keti Koti exhibition in 2023, in collaboration with OSCAM. The exhibition was for the 150th commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands.
Located at Museumplein Amsterdam 2023,
Photography by Almicheal Fraay.
4. Curated the one day Keti Koti exhibition, in collaboration with OSCAM. The exhibition was for the 150th commemoration of the abolition of slavery from the Netherlands.
Located at Museumplein Amsterdam 2023,
Photography by Almicheal Fraay.
Breathwork session - exhibition program
'Let's Be Honest, We all Need Rest'
In 2023 Allysia vd led a guided breathwork session program for the exhibition Let's be honest, We All Need Rest in the Open Space Contemporary Art Museum.
Photography by Monika Vaskorova, 2023