Pascale Monnin - Chuchotements, 2014, collection: the Artist This commentary, on the recently closed Vives Exhibition, was first published in the Jamaica Monitor of January 30, 2022. During my stay here in Haiti, I have had the opportunity to share a house, and to work and exchange thoughts with two highly accomplished women in the... Continue Reading →
Review: the Atlantic World Art Fair
Abigail Hadeed,Still Life | Still Lives – Not so Enchanted_The Ghost Ship, 2020, Digital Photography, 41.3 × 43.8 cm, Edition 3/5. Photo courtesy of Sour Grass and the Atlantic World Art Fair This article was originally published in the Jamaica Monitor in two parts, on June 13 and 20, 2021. It is posted here as... Continue Reading →
Review: And I Resumed the Struggle
Greg Bailey – Mushroom Clouds (2020), oil on canvas, 71 x 88” (photo: Veerle Poupeye) This article was originally published in the Jamaica Monitor of May 23, 2021. More images have been added. On December 10, 2020, I attended an exhibition opening, my first since our first Covid-19 lockdown started. The occasion was And I... Continue Reading →
“Jamaica, Jamaica,” or, the Problem of “Good Enough”
In 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Paris for the opening of Jamaica, Jamaica, a major exhibition on Jamaican music curated by the French music journalist Sebastien Carayol for the Philharmonie de Paris/Cité de la Musique. I did so in my capacity as the then Executive Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica... Continue Reading →
Shifting the Conversation: Ania Freer’s “All That Don’t Leave”
Work by Alexander "Bamboo King" Dempster in foreground, with exhibition sign by Kemel Leeford Rankine in the background Ania Freer describes herself as "an Australian/Jamaican filmmaker and creative story-teller." She operates and curates an online gallery and Instagram platform, Goat Curry Gallery, which features work by the Jamaican craft producers she works with as well... Continue Reading →
Parochialism or Inclusiveness? The Inaugural NGJ Summer Exhibition – Part II
Katrina Coombs - Golden Flow This is part two of a two-part post. The first part can be found here. Taking a closer look at the NGJ Summer Exhibition reveals a few pleasant surprises but also pulls the exhibition’s weaknesses and failings into sharper perspective. Perhaps the most outstanding work in the exhibition is Lucille... Continue Reading →