Contemporary
Caribbean Art Writing

Investigative | Introspective

Photographic archives are unique in their ability to engage us with fragments of our past. Its viewers are transported to a time-space that invites them to animate subjects, reimagine stories, and expand on landscapes beyond the frame. However, Trinidadian artist Rodell Warner is interested in new and innovative ways of approaching such work. 

Identity

Throughout the course of art history, the introduction of new machinery and technology influenced how art was made. From trains to the camera, the advancement of said technology continuously shaped how art is created, how it is viewed and how it is consumed. In the 1980s, the term “new media” was given to art created by and distributed through digital technology. New media encompasses, but is not isolated to, graphic design, animation, computer robots, interactive art and internet art.

On Friday, January 24, 2020, a new media exhibition, “Identity”, featuring artworks by Nowé Harris-Smith and Spurgeonique Morley opened at Doongalik Studios. Although they are both junior high art teachers, Harris-Smith and Morley displayed over 10 digital art prints within the historic Doongalik gallery space. Keeping true to the name, all of the artworks were self-portraits of the artists. The exhibition is on view until February 29, 2020.

On the Verandah with Travolta Cooper, Where In the World is Wally?

Where In The World Is Wally (WITWIW), which premiered on January 20, 2020, is a glass-shattering, dark, mysterious breath of fresh air centered around Bahamian folklore and oral history. Conceived by filmmaker Travolta Cooper, WITWIW expounds on the nuances of Bahamian culture, particularly superstition, faith and “magical realism”. Due to occasional power outages in Bimini, Cooper’s grandmother would tell him folktales, an old West African practice. The seeds of imagination planted by this interaction, produced the mystery-ridden series that now stands as the number one show on Cable TV on Monday nights.

Bahamas Haus at Art Ft. Lauderdale 2020

After Hurricane Dorian’s historic landfall, a general understanding swept through the archipelago. Bahamians far and wide understood that we would have to dedicate ourselves, our resources and our talents to help restore the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. Since the “all clear” was given for first responders and other aid-givers to travel to the islands, relief work poured in. While traditional donations and volunteerism occurred, innovative humanitarian efforts of all kinds were conceived and enacted to assist ongoing relief efforts.

One event in particular was Bahama Haus, organized and curated by Jennifer Snow Nayak, featured during Art Ft. Lauderdale. Art Ft. Lauderdale opened on Thursday, January 23, 2020 and ran through Sunday, January 26, 2020, and featured Bahama Haus, “a unique art project and partnership with Ministry of Tourism Bahamas, sponsors and collectors Argus Advisors, legal, financial services provider and fine arts collection, based in Freeport”, as stated by abc7.com.. 

A Buzzy Art Scene Is Heating Up in the Bahamas — Here's What to see

In 2004, at age nine years old, I decided I wanted to be an artist. That was the year my mother took me and my two siblings to the opening of a biennial exhibition at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. I remember being overwhelmed by the works on display, and by my mother's pride in her colleague Dereck Paul—an architect like her, whom we had come to support. Seeing his vibrant mixed-media portrait, Mangra Skin, awakened a curiosity I needed to explore. In what order had he applied the bright colors of the woman's face? Why had he placed a pomegranate on the subject's head?

An Olive Branch by Yasmin Glinton
Interview with the author

“And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.” — Genesis 8:11.

After reading educator and poet, Yasmin Y. Glinton’s newest collection of poems “An Olive Branch”, I was moved to reread the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark.