In this episode, we introduce you to Janeen Walker, an artist whose love for the mysterious and magical underwater world, particularly jellyfish, extends from the canvas to the tattoos on her skin. She recently had her first solo exhibition - “Why Not Pretty” - hosted at The Island House, Nassau and we were there at the opening night.
Read MoreIt is with a happy heart that we announce our latest muse, Dyah Neilson, who is riding the ‘first solo exhibition’ high having just presented at Doongalik Studios earlier this month. This bold, bright collection - ‘Love & Fear’, depicts things perhaps a little less buoyant on our island - the very real battle with mental health. Dyah’s use of beaming, whimsy blues render comforting island scenes drawing the viewer in while a deeper, subliminal message stirs from beneath the waves. The Bahamas is crippled with a stigma surrounding mental heath and so these conversations are often swept out to sea, if you will. The collection is so intentionally approachable, giving mental illness a positive portrayal, something that can be overcome with love and support.
Read MoreFor this interview, we were privileged to visit John Cox in his home studio. In supreme contrast to the uber-hip space that John commands as Art Director of Baha Mar’s The Current (an experiential hub for Bahamian art), Cox’s home studio is somewhat humbling. A cross between the mad scientist’s basement and the rock band’s garage, this is John’s self-confessed “broke down ol’ car” that still takes him on surprisingly long journeys. Time to jump in the backseat and go for a ride. “But watch out,” said John Cox. “There’s no suspension.”
Read MoreWith an eye for feminine emotion a distinctive whimsicalness about her colour scheme, June's latest body of work powerfully captures her desire to tell stories of those around her. June's expressive portrayal of women and their many roles in Bahamian society shed light on bold themes all within the confines of a vibrant but deliberate painting. The hues of Caribbean life flow from one painting to the next as though they all share a deep interconnectedness. With a mindfulness about her, June methodically selects her muse, story and dearest pattern notebook and carves the path for her next masterpiece. The best way to experience this lush and evolving collection is to pay June a visit at her studio perch amongst the artistic backdrop that is The Current and watch her tirelessly create.
Read MoreIf only this, it is our civic duty to value and preserve the rich island antiquity of our composite culture. The arts, deeply intertwined within our strewn archipelago, are a visual continuum of The Bahamas from then until now. Chan Pratt sits prominently on our historical mantle with his iconic botanics and precise clapboard portrayals celebrating the intrinsic vibrance so closely equated with ‘island life’. DC has tasked himself with preserving the legacy of his father through the creation of an organization - The Chan Pratt Foundation. With emphasis on empowerment, DC offers aspiring young artists the chance to recognize their talents and in doing so, overcome the powerlessness and lack of influence that they feel quashed by. With an indomitable spirit, DC is making waves in the art realm, casting his father’s uplifting, iconic summery blooms where needed most.
Read MoreWith a distinctive taste for landscapes, particularly those of the islands, Tessa’s latest work powerfully captures her empirical conception of the complexities of Caribbean life. Tessa’s distinguished collection tellingly titled, “…there are always two deaths”, a line borrowed from ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, is an expressive portrayal of loss and lamenting. Tessa’s work touches on many bold themes including matriarchal identification, alienation and marriage. Her artistic exploration of an intrinsic relationship existing between women and nature is felt deeply. The lush, tropical island backdrop seems like an idyllic landscape for healing; however, with hints of agonizing irony, these tropical inlets are entrenched in a turbulent history which proves a difficult place to search for the warmth of understanding.
Read MoreTo the untrained eye, Lillian Blade’s textured, colorful rebellion may seem like an improvised outburst of creativity. However, Lillian's work goes way deeper than that. Her mixed-media collages capture memories and embody self-discovery while paying homage to her island-roots. With a consciousness about her, Lillian sifts through objects, random to some but symbolic to her, which morph into large-scale assemblages that provoke an intense sense of wonder.
Read MoreIn this episode, we continue to explore the Bahamian photography scene, this time though the lens of “island gal” Sofia Whitehead. Sofia has been making quite a splash recently with the publication of her coffee table book Bahama Mama “Portraits & Wisdom from the Mothers of Bahamian Society,” a two-and-a-half-year quest for maternal percipience, for across the breadth of our island nation. However, Sofia’s work goes beyond investigating the colourful depths of her homeland culture; her travel photography shows is a jet-set dreamscape - a celebration of the vivid palette of humanity at large. Read on…
Read MoreWelcome back to Cacique’s Artist In The Spotlight series - a journey into a thriving Bahamian art scene and a look at some of our most celebrated artists, as well as the movers and shakers garnering a name for themselves on island and around the world. For this episode, I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Bahamian photographer Melissa Alcena, whose honest, arresting documentary photography has captured the attention of the island nation, as well as a not-too-shabby publication by the name of Vogue.
Read MoreWelcome back to Cacique’s Artist In The Spotlight series - a journey into a thriving Bahamian art scene. This time around we’ve had the pleasure of revisiting Bahama Hand Prints at one of it’s new locations - The Island House. Helmed by Alannah van Onselen, the new owner and creative mastermind, who left her perch in South Africa, has come home to breathe life and vigor into the handcrafted, Bahamian company.
Read MoreWelcome back to Cacique’s Artist In The Spotlight series - a journey into a thriving Bahamian art scene and a look at some of our most exciting artists, pushing boundaries on island and around the world. Natascha Vazquez, an artist surrounded by tradition but never bound by it, took her art on a extravagantly abstract path. She invites us to stroll around “Finca Nati”- her family farm- to understand how her native Bahamian surroundings have unconsciously carved her artistic identity.
Read MoreItalian lensman, Alessandro Sarno aka The Lonesome Photographer, is a true aficionado of The Bahamas. His photojournalistic approach seeks to capture the “true true” Bahamian spirit, and as such his subjects are often “soulful” old folk or rambunctious youngsters who are less impacted by the presence of the camera. Alessandro’s work has a dreamlike quality, as if he is letting us in on something intimate - a fleeting moment to which we are privy - or in the words of avant-garde New York photographer Diane Arbus, “a secret about a secret.”
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