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in Germany...by Bahamian artists...
A New Face Of Bahamian Art Emerges In Germany Show
By Erica Wells
… "Funky Nassau – Recovering an Identity," an exhibition of works by nine Bahamian artists, opens in Wiesbaden, Germany … viewers will also get a glimpse into the struggle of a new movement of Bahamian artists who are trying to break free from the stereo-types of "Bahamian Art."
(…ends April 30, 2006)
It’s a point that the exhibition’s curator, Amanda Coulson, made recently in an article on the show, which features the works of John Beadle, Dionne Benjamin-Smith, Lillian Blades, John Cox, Blue Curry, Michael Edwards, Antonius Roberts, Heino Schmid and Clive Stuart.
In these works the artists steer clear of the traditional trappings of what is normally considered "Bahamian" art – in fact a piece by Benjamin-Smith addresses that issue head on – and focus instead on some of the myriad social issues affecting Bahamian society.
Issues of migration, heritage, culture, colonialism, the war in Iraq, tourism and love are at the centre of these pieces, the large majority of which do not hang on the gallery’s walls but take up entire rooms with their presence and their message.
None of the pieces is what you would expect, but all speak to an exciting movement that is slowly shaking a generally indifferent audience - at least when it comes to non-traditional art - awake.
"Today, supported by the establishment of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas in Nassau, a new generation of local artists is breaking away from the centuries old clichés, struggling to identify, question and explain their own and their nation’s identity," says Coulson.
"Shunning traditional Bahamian themes, they are exploring social issues and presenting the islands in a way never before encountered by an international audience."
After being selected by Coulson, who visited the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas last year, the artists all welcomed the opportunity to show their work abroad and create pieces that are far removed from the pressure to sell, an all too common feeling among artists exhibiting locally…
A New Face Of Bahamian Art Emerges In Germany Show
By Erica Wells
… "Funky Nassau – Recovering an Identity," an exhibition of works by nine Bahamian artists, opens in Wiesbaden, Germany … viewers will also get a glimpse into the struggle of a new movement of Bahamian artists who are trying to break free from the stereo-types of "Bahamian Art."
(…ends April 30, 2006)
It’s a point that the exhibition’s curator, Amanda Coulson, made recently in an article on the show, which features the works of John Beadle, Dionne Benjamin-Smith, Lillian Blades, John Cox, Blue Curry, Michael Edwards, Antonius Roberts, Heino Schmid and Clive Stuart.
In these works the artists steer clear of the traditional trappings of what is normally considered "Bahamian" art – in fact a piece by Benjamin-Smith addresses that issue head on – and focus instead on some of the myriad social issues affecting Bahamian society.
Issues of migration, heritage, culture, colonialism, the war in Iraq, tourism and love are at the centre of these pieces, the large majority of which do not hang on the gallery’s walls but take up entire rooms with their presence and their message.
None of the pieces is what you would expect, but all speak to an exciting movement that is slowly shaking a generally indifferent audience - at least when it comes to non-traditional art - awake.
"Today, supported by the establishment of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas in Nassau, a new generation of local artists is breaking away from the centuries old clichés, struggling to identify, question and explain their own and their nation’s identity," says Coulson.
"Shunning traditional Bahamian themes, they are exploring social issues and presenting the islands in a way never before encountered by an international audience."
After being selected by Coulson, who visited the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas last year, the artists all welcomed the opportunity to show their work abroad and create pieces that are far removed from the pressure to sell, an all too common feeling among artists exhibiting locally…