Refresh Amsterdam’s pivotal image was created by photographer Kevin Osepa and shows a man with his back covered by cerions, a tropical species of land snail that only exists on the ABC islands. These snails on the back of a Yu di Kòrsou (“child of Curaçao”) symbolize the bond between this native creature and the people whose umbilical cords lie buried on this island.

The snails are also found in great numbers on Kloof, a street on the island of Curaçao lined with trees that grow towards each other, where a bloody battle between the Dutch colonial powers and the local people took place. Due to their long lifespan, these snails are the last living witnesses of those events. Kloof street is the central theme in Osepa’s works exhibited at Refresh Amsterdam.

A visual identity was developed for the first edition of Refresh Amsterdam, using patterns created by United Painting (Marije Lytske Hester) in collaboration with design agency and this campaign image.