These days, I go to the National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) when there are public events and as a result, I visit only very rarely. I actually visited twice since the start of the year, very briefly for the opening of the Art of Reggae exhibition on February 19, and for a longer visit two... Continue Reading →
The Art of Reggae Exhibition at the National Gallery of Jamaica
Visitors at the Art of Reggae exhibition opening, February 19, 2023. Pat Chin, of VP records, is the third person from right. (Photo: Veerle Poupeye) This post was published in its original form in the Monitor Tribune of February 26 and March 5, 2023. Part 1 The Art of Reggae exhibition, which features the top... Continue Reading →
Provocations: The NGJ As a Politicized Venue?
I had initially posted this to my Facebook timeline yesterday, where an interesting discussion ensued. Given the import of the matter, I am reposting it here in this more permanent forum. I was just at the National Gallery of Jamaica for a panel discussion related to the current Reggae Poster exhibition. If I counted correctly... Continue Reading →
The Art Year in Review: The National Gallery of Jamaica
At the opening of the Jamaica Jamaica! exhibition in February 2022 This post was initially published in two parts in the Monitor Tribune of January 15 and 22, 2023. It is published here with a few minor changes. Internationally, 2022 has been a fantastic year for the artists of the Global Caribbean, with an unprecedented... Continue Reading →
The Inaugural Kingston Biennial
Nari Ward - Windward (2022), Kingston Biennial The original version of this post was published in four installments in what was then the Jamaica Monitor, now the Monitor Tribune, in four installments between July 2 and 23, 2022. A few minor changes have been made. A Limited Outlook I left the June 26 opening of... Continue Reading →
Art Criticism and the Jamaican Art Ecology – the 1980s
The self-taught artist Everald Brown with the author in 1987, in the Kapo Gallery at the National Gallery. Part of Kapo's head (and turban) can be seen to the right Why is it that locally directed and published art criticism has all but disappeared in Jamaica? I am talking mainly about newspaper criticism, which was... Continue Reading →