Brad Pinnock - Stupid Box, 2022, video installation, at New Local Space, Kingston This new series puts the spotlight on the exciting young artists who have emerged in Jamaica in recent years, many of them as graduates of the Edna Manley College. The features will be based on studio visits (virtual and actual) and interviews,... Continue Reading →
Art Writing in the Age of ChatGPT
As one who writes about art for a living, it is important for me to be aware of the rapidly changing cultural, political and technological context in which I operate. Perhaps the most transformative development of our times is the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), which is a source of great anxiety and controversy, but... Continue Reading →
A Book and a Monument, “Lest We Forget”
Detail of Lest We Forget (Photo: Veerle Poupeye) On February 27, I attended the unveiling of the Lest We Forget monument at the Joy Spence Appleton Rum Experience in Nassau Valley, St Elizabeth. The monument, which commemorates the persons who were enslaved at Appleton, was designed and executed by a young Jamaican sculptor, Trishaunna Henry,... Continue Reading →
The Art Year in Review – Governance and Leadership in the Public Cultural Sector
At the CAG[e] gallery, circa 2008, Edna Manley College (Photo: Veerle Poupeye) In this second installment of my critical reflections on developments in the art world in 2022, I continue to focus on critical issues of governance, leadership and performance in the public cultural sector. At the core of this is the relentless politicization, in... Continue Reading →
Bewigged – Greg Bailey’s Post-colonial Paraphernalia
Greg Bailey - Lady Locks (2021) I am privileged to have been invited to curate the debut solo exhibition of the Jamaican artist Greg Bailey is entitled Post-Colonial Paraphernalia. The exhibition explores the lingering effects of colonial symbols and and features ten new oil paintings and one drawing. The exhibition is on view at Creativ... Continue Reading →
Le Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
The Centre d'Art building in the 1950s or early 60s. It was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake (photo: courtesy of Le Centre d'Art). This article was first published, in two parts, by the Jamaica Monitor on September 19 and 26, 2021. It is posted here with some minor modifications. Le Centre d’Art is among the... Continue Reading →