NAGB Art Library Highlight: Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art

Mosaka, Tumelo, Annie Paul, and Nicollette Ramirez. Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art. New York: Brooklyn Museum in association with Philip Wilson Publishers, 2007. Print. 

Speak of the Caribbean to the wider world and pictures of grand palm trees, pristine blue waters and easy breezy island life are imagined. In an exhibition catalogue entitled Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art, assistant curator at the Brooklyn Museum, Tumelo Mosaka, attempts to deconstruct clichéd notions of Caribbean visual culture by exploring the work of 45 contemporary Caribbean artists.

These artists, purposefully chosen, represent a variety of Caribbean nations, stretching from Cuba to Montserrat. In turn, these diverse artists bring with them their own individual baggage, art that is loaded with personal visual, cultural and social subtext. Issues such as migration, race, colonialism, power, poverty, feminism and idealism are addressed with an uncanny beauty, whilst remaining true, almost harsh, to the true messages.

One piece in particular by Puerto Rican based artists, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, personally stands out. In their series entitled, Land Mark (Foot Prints), the viewer is confronted with footprints in golden sand. No other scenery is shown, just a confusing haste of footprints etched into the surface of the beach. Upon closer inspection, the footprints don’t convey the grooves of a regular foot, but rather, are stylized pieces with words and images engraved into their surfaces. One particularly strong footprint screams “LA MARINA ES MUERTE” (THE NAVY IS DEATH) with glaring skull and crossbones next to it (Mosaka 39). In reality, Allora and Calzadilla designed these rubber soles for activists who planned to trespass and protest on the U.S. military base in Vieques, Puerto Rico (Mosaka 38).

Of the 80 plus works in Infinite Island, there is a noticeable lack of ‘traditional art’ represented. Indeed, paintings are a sparse thing; the catalogue is instead filled with pictures of looming sculptures, large-scale installation pieces, sculptures and photographs. As a result of this decision-making, Infinite Island actively challenges traditional notions of Caribbean art. The viewer can no longer expect to see graceful landscapes expertly painted onto canvas, or cool watercolour scenes of native boat life, scenes that have often defined Caribbean art in the past.

I would have liked to see work from a wider range of Caribbean countries, say from The Bahamas for instance. Though, as one of the first real attempts to catalogue Caribbean contemporary art in the United States, Infinite Island is a raging success. Not only do Caribbean people learn about themselves and their art, individuals from foreign countries see a more realistic portrayal of Caribbean art and life. It is good to finally see those imagined pristine palm trees gone, as Infinite Island lets the truth rush in.

-AK

Interesting Further Reads:

Brooklyn Museum
Macmillan
New York Times

Works Cited

Mosaka, Tumelo, Annie Paul, and Nicollette Ramirez. Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art. New York: Brooklyn Museum in association with Philip Wilson Publishers, 2007. Print. 

"Exhibitions: Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art." Brooklyn Museum: Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/infinite_island/>.

This book is available at the NAGB Art Library and available for purchase online through Amazon.

NAGB Film Series: On the Wings of Men (2011)

 

On the Wings of Men. Dir. Calvin Dwight Harris. 2011.

What: NAGB Film Series: On the Wings of Men (2011)
When: Thursday, February 23, 2012 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Where: The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, West and West Hill Streets, Nassau, The Bahamas.

The Education Department of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas has chosen Bahamian filmmaker Calvin Harris' film “On the Wings of Men” to be the first in a series of films under the current exhibition, “As We Knew Him," One Family’s Tribute to Jackson Burnside III. This film was chosen because it combines Bahamian history and culture which were two of Burnside's greatest passions. This film received strong support from the community, thus earning it the 2011 BIFF Audience Awards: Best Documentary.

This film will look at the life & time of the first ever Prime Minister of the Bahamas; Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, and his fight against US foreign policies in the 1980's [then Presidents Reagan & Bush Administration]. In his successful attempt the help free Nelson Mandela, he found himself in the midst of a conspiracy trail, orchestrated by the CIA, that accused him of ties to the Columbian Cartel [Carlos Rivas Ledher & Pablo Escobar] and for being the conduit [The Bahamas] to America's cocaine problems in the 1980s.

If you have any inquiries about the event, please call 328.5800/1, or drop us a comment on the blog, we'll answer you as soon as possible.

Be Firm But Be Fair: An Interview with Chief Curator, John Cox

Interview with Chief Curator from the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, John Cox. Cox was born in Nassau and later attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in the United States. He has a BFA in Illustration and an MAT in Art Education. Cox is an artist, an Associate Professor at the College of The Bahamas and the owner and director of Popopstudios- Center for the Visual Arts. Cox joined the NAGB team in January 2012.

Ashley Knowles: What do you think the role of the curator is?

John: I think the role of the curator is to use a metaphor, it is like being a conductor of an orchestra, so it is about responsibility, leadership, delegation and creativity. It’s like being a Director, in the context of creating a film, in the sense that there are people doing filming, people doing editing and casting, so it’s about being on top of the entire dynamic structure of the exhibition.

I think that is what the act of curating is about. It is the sensitive handling of the creative process that didn’t begin with you, but ends with you.

A: Have you curated anywhere else?

J: My first experience doing curatorial work was at RISD, I didn’t think of it as curating though. RISD was my first experience doing it, but I didn’t think, “I am curating an exhibition now”.

I must have been about 19 or 20 when I did that, but I felt that it was a craft in and of itself, the ability to hang the shows and present the work, it was like the final follow through of any individual artist’s process.

A: What would you say makes a strong curator then?

J: I think that it is someone who is very fluent in the language and is able to translate, to basically be the interpreter. The curator needs to basically interpret the language of the art that they are responsible for. The resource of your gallery should also be taken into consideration, the physicality of the space, what kind of equipment you have that can support the work and so on.

What you really want to do is elevate the work, you don’t want to take it down a few steps, and you want to take it up. I think that is the goal of it, to bring a sense of clarity to the art.

A: Is that how you would define a ‘good’ show versus a ‘bad’ show, as in something that wasn’t translated in a digestible way?

J: It needs to be as digestible as it should be. The idea should not be to ‘dumb’ it down. You need to clear the path from the work to the viewer, that’s your responsibility. That’s what a gallery is really, its an artery, a conduit from the art to the audience, and all its staff should be focused on enhancing that experience. So what we try to do is to make the work as engaging, informative and provocative as we can based on how we install it, the colour of the walls, wall text, education, programs, labels and so on.

A:  You mention something about consciousness; do you think that it helps the curating process? Each individual is different and you tend to have more of an organic style, does having or not having consciousness help?

J: In terms of me being more organic, I think it is based on my experiences of finding myself having to make curatorial efforts now with paste experiences of previously being responsible for education. I find that the source of my knowledge in curating is experience.

 I’ve had different ways attaining experience and I think that my knowledge is based on the fact that I know what it is like to make art. I have a pretty good understanding of a broad range of processes even though I don’t actually do them. I think that is what people want to know, they want to understand the processes, what would have motivated someone to do this or choose to tell their story in that way.

I think really, what it is, is that curating is telling stories with art.

A: So it seems that being an artist has really helped you do this.

J: Yeah, I think so. I think that artists have become very fluent at figuring out what languages they need to speak.

How you establish yourself is as a curator, is by being consistent for a long period of time. I think many people are thrown off, that if they’re not popular they think that they need to change their philosophy so that they’ll be more popular. What you need to do is be responsible in the beginning, set up your own ideology and stick with it for the long term because if you are very clear and thoughtful in your statements and what you’re doing, people will start to gravitate towards you. I believe that people respect and understand consistency more than anything else.

A: Yeah, you need to be able to trust the institution.

J:  Yeah, I think trust is huge. If you don’t gain the trust of the art community or the artists that you are dealing with it is very, very difficult.

-AK

Feel free to send us a comment or email at mixedmediablog.nagb@gmail.com, we look forward to hearing from you!

Highlight: Pictures from the 'As We Knew Him' Exhibition Opening

The exhibition opening for 'As We Knew Him' was a raging success! With an estimated crowd of over 350 people, the night was filled with laughter, the sound of cowbells and an energetic rush by One Family.

The NAGB would like to thank their staff, One Family for their amazing assistance in making this exhibition possible and of course, our guests and visitors who made the night such a success and continue to support us. Enjoy the photos!

For press releases on the exhibition and its opening, yesterday's entry features a Tribune article written by Alesha Cadet and ZNS feature with Giovanni Stuart.
Link: The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas in the News.

The Inagua Salt Ponds
Design: Christina “Muffin” Fernander
Built: Christina “Muffin” Fernander
Rush: Christina “Muffin” Fernander

Feel free to email Mixed Media at mixedmediablog.nagb@gmail.com, or contact us at 328.5800. The NAGB is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas in the News

Today's Tribune published an article about the Jackson Burnside exhibition. An amazing piece written by Tribune reporter, Alesha Cadet, explores the different influences, sections and meanings of the show.

The NAGB was also featured by ZNS during its news broadcast. Check out our new Chief Curator, John Cox, talking about the importance of the current exhibition, As We Knew Him.

Have any suggestions for the NAGB or the Mixed Media blog? Please email mixedmediablog.nagb@gmail.com and let us know.

Wanted: Volunteers Needed

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas is looking for volunteers to assist with curatorial and education events, as well as assisting with the Mixed Media store. Volunteers will staff the store, assist with exhibition openings, closing, All-star Amateur Artist nights and film previews.

Please call 328-5800 for further information.

February Trivia

It's that time! Mixed Media will host it's February Trivia today. The rules are very similar to past rules.

The first individual to get all of these questions right will win a special Mixed Media prize, and the first 10 individuals will receive a small token from Mixed Media.

February's quiz pertains to past and present NAGB exhibitions. All of the answers can be found either on Mixed Media, the official NAGB website or in past NAGB publications.

To submit your answers, please email mixedmediablog.nagb@gmail.com with your responses, your name, and an email or phone contact. This trivia opportunity expires on 6PM Friday. Good luck!

1. When did Kendal Hanna: Happy Birthday To Me exhibition officially open?
2. Which National Exhibition will occur at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas this year?
3. Which Barbadian artist had an exhibition at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas?
4. What is the name of the Bahamian artist that has had a solo-exhibition at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, who that is known for his print making skills?
5. What is the name of the exhibition that debuted many African artifacts and pieces?
6. What 2 large themes were explored in Kendal Hanna: Happy Birthday To Me and in the All-star Amateur Artist night?
7. Which National Exhibition occurred in 2010 and what was its theme?
8. What is the name of the exhibition officially opening February 3, 2012?
9. What year did Developing Blackness open at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas?

Bonus: What is rumoured name of the artist to have a retrospective at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas this year?

The bonus question will give an extra point to whoever guesses it correctly.

Feel free to send us a comment or email, we look forward to hearing from you! Also "like" our Facebook page to get the latest updates and information!
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