Panorama of an emerging art
On the islands, art and a keen sense of aesthetics are an integral part of everyday life. The boundaries between the different fields of creation seem deliberately blurred: nature inspires watercolours, wood generates sculptures and engravings. The Bahamas National Trust Wine and Art Festival has been combining the pleasure of the taste buds and the eyes for the past thirty years, with the benefits going to the protection of the environment. More specialized, Transforming Spaces invites the islands' cultural actors, galleries, artisans and innovative artists to take part in the local artistic vitality. The event takes the form of a circuit between galleries and workshops. Over the past 100 years, artists from diverse backgrounds have been shaping Bahamian art. Many of them have temporarily moved to Europe or the United States to study or to follow international painting trends.
Needless to say, the unique setting has inspired the work of many artists, including watercolourists from all over the islands. How can one fail to be imbued with the bright colours of the waves and vegetation, the exceptional luminosity and above all the ambient joie de vivre? Other artists mix their origins with touches from elsewhere, whether through themes or technique, thus forging their own personal style, both local and able to make a place for themselves on the outdoor scene. Whatever their approach, they each contribute in their own way to defining Bahamian art as it is presented by the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Its collection of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, mixed media and photographs traces its origins to the turn of the 20th century
Amos Ferguson, the iconic
A prolific self-taught artist, Amos Ferguson, born in Exuda in 1920 and died in 2009, remains to this day the best known artist of the islands. Nicknamed "the grandfather of Bahamian art," Ferguson was a strong believer. In his figurative works, which depict religious and popular scenes, he combined anthropomorphic animals, angels, music and freely composed landscapes. At a very young age, Ferguson decided to become a painter, and he did not hesitate to make a living painting houses and signs. He begins to imagine paintings following a dream in which his nephew sees Ferguson receiving a gift from God. At first, he sells his painted works at the market, preferably on cardboard or wooden plates. A small peculiarity is that he uses nails to draw dots and circles. Ferguson paints his paintings at the kitchen table until he reaches retirement age. Each one tells a story and is inspired "by God rather than by what he sees. His first solo exhibition was held in 1972, and in 1985, 50 of his works were shown in Connecticut. The exhibition traveled the world for two long years. His reputation spread like wildfire
Abstract art by Kendal Hanna
Born in Nassau in 1936, Kendal Hanna is one of the precursors of abstract painting in the Bahamas. His early works are essentially figurative and painted in black and white. Curious by nature, he was introduced to pottery at a very young age. He discovered the world, lived temporarily in New York, explored American museums and befriended artists from all walks of life. Back in the Bahamas, in his early thirties, he became interested in colours after a therapy for schizophrenia, which he was diagnosed with at the time. In doing so, he claims that his subconscious expresses itself directly on his canvases. Kendal Hanna also experimented with expressionism. After his house burned down, he went through a period of depression, which was soon filled by PopopStudios. This centre, which houses workshops and a gallery, offers him a permanent residence where he pursues his career under the sign of renewal. His paintings, which have earned him comparisons with William de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Joan Miró, have entered several local and international collections.
Rose, dean of photographers
Born in Italy to British parents in 1937, Roland Rose is nicknamed "Dean of Photography". He was only thirteen years old when he traded his harmonica for his first camera. Shortly after, he bought a Kodak Retinette, as soon as the famous film was released. The family went into exile in the Bahamas in 1946 and by 1951 Rose had established himself as a professional photographer. He documented life in the Bahamas and immortalized scenes that reflected the spirit of the islands. Appointed Minister of Tourism, his vibrant images are known to have attracted visitors to the islands. He continues to capture vivid scenes of Independence Day celebrations, natural disasters and people on holiday. His work as a valuable chronicler is the subject of acclaimed retrospectives
Following her, Paulette Mortimer, born in 1975, combines multimedia art with photography. The artist is famous for her black and white landscapes, filtered images and infrared effects. She works in parallel with clay, image transfer and painting. Alexandra Conway Timchula began with printmaking and lithography before studying photography in New York. Her multidisciplinary approach is largely nourished by her very large format architectural photographs.
Ana-Lisa Wells learned photography in Michigan before returning to her native islands. In addition to artistic photography, she also mixes disciplines, painting and drawing. Her photographic portraits depict people in the heart of a recreated nature, emerging from a colorful vegetation
The naive art of Wellington Bridgewater
Another self-taught artist, Wellington Bridgewater was born in Nassau in 1948. A farmer, fisherman, lifeguard and construction worker by turns, he began painting in 1991 at the age of 43. Deeply religious, he draws his art from his faith. His paintings and sculptures are in his eyes the fruit of prophetic visions that he receives in dreams. He received several official commissions from the Bahamas, the first being a sculpture of St. Joseph for the Catholic Church of the same name. The National Art Gallery acquired several of his representations for its permanent collection, including Angel Blowing His Trumpet and The Serpent Lady. He can claim to be the first Bahamian artist to exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum in New York with his painting Saddam Hussein as the Nine Headed Serpent in Revelations.
Antonius Roberts, sculptor
In 1992 Antonius Roberts organized the first exhibition of his friend and fervent admirer, the painter Livingstone Pratt. Born in 1959 in Nassau, Pratt composes colourful paintings guided by his faith. His spiritual works are evocative of nostalgia and hope
Mixing of genres
John Cox is a person committed to revitalizing the Bahamian art scene. Born in Nassau in 1973, he trained in Rhode Island as an illustrator and art teacher, which he does with passion. His artistic approach combines techniques, paintings, collages, found objects and familiar materials, to offer his vision of the everyday. His large format works have been exhibited around the world. Cox also runs the Current Gallery & Art Centre, which focuses on local contemporary artists. The gallery also offers an artist residency, creative workshops and guided tours
The paintings and installations of Michael Edwards, born in 1975 in the Bahamas, are at the intersection of art and science. He combines disciplines to invite the public to dialogue with these two worlds that he believes are more similar than one might imagine. He studied French in Bordeaux, then drawing in Paris, before taking up painting in the United States. Back in the archipelago, he exhibited at the Popopstudios visual arts center and then began a teaching career at the College of The Bahamas
Tessa Whitehead, born in 1985 in Nassau, studied at the famous Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Her art, with its disconcerting power, is expressed in both painting and sculpture, in a conceptual genre that uses installations. Pushing the boundaries, she likes to step outside the strict confines of the canvas, playing with perspective to create vertigo, modulating textures to create illusion. Whitehead is also curator of the D'Aguilar Art Foundation in Nassau. Since 2008, the foundation has supported the art of the archipelago through acquisitions and exhibitions. The collection's selections are intended to reflect the unique identity of The Bahamas
