Artist <PERSON> taps into the ‘eternal connections’ of Black Caribbean ancestry · Global Voices
An art enthusiast takes in a piece in <PERSON> Turntable Series, during her solo exhibition at at Kunstinstituut Melly in The Netherlands, October 2021. Photo by <PERSON>, courtesy Kunstinstituut Melly, used with permission.
The lush, tree-filled backyard of Jamacian-born, Trinidad-based artist <PERSON> urban childhood home was to have an impact on her creative process that she could never have imagined when she first received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the groundbreaking Parsons School of Design in the 1980s. Over the course of her long career, her work has expanded from amazingly intricate jewellery pieces to large-scale installations that merge sculpture with elements of multimedia.
In her latest solo exhibition at Kunstinstituut Melly in The Netherlands, “Bathed in Sacred Fire,” <PERSON> takes those natural elements that made such an impression on her in her youth and uses them to launch a discussion about Caribbean identity. Her art deftly strips bare the region's traumatic colonial past, presenting it in such hauntingly beautiful and empowering ways that you dare not look away, lest you miss a precious and powerful detail.
An art enthusiast takes a photo of <PERSON> “Real Princess”, which features a cedar chest combined with plexiglass, mirror, antique crystal, pig bones, coconut shells, paper and lace. Photo by <PERSON>, courtesy Kunstinstituut Melly, used with permission.
Neither is her commentary monolithic. Instead, it oozes the kind of magical realism that allows us to connect with experiences of indigenous Africa, with the horrors of the Middle Passage and slavery, all the way to postcolonial sociopolitical issues and race relations at play in the Americas. None of it feels preachy; instead, each piece portrays tangibility and truth in a very personal way. It's a raw, tender examination of ancestry with a distinctly contemporary artistic approach.
<PERSON> love of literature adds further context to the exhibit, as quotes by poets like <PERSON> and <PERSON> hover on the wall space behind certain pieces. Via email, I interviewed the artist about her vision for this exhibit and what she wants people to take away from it.
Artist <PERSON> (in black with headtie) in conversation with <PERSON> (in red) and <PERSON> (far right) of the contemporary art collective Sour Grass, which curated the exhibition. Photo by <PERSON>, courtesy Kunstinstituut Melly, used with permission.
<PERSON> (JMF): One of the things I love most about your art is that it’s fearless. 216
You’re not afraid to experiment and take risks, whether it be with materials, subject matter, or even how you combine them to make a statement. Where does that come from and how does it inform your art—especially when you’re trying to say something difficult?
<PERSON> (JTG): <PERSON> said, ‘The great task of any culture is to keep the invisibles attached.’ Trying to locate the ‘invisibles’ excite me! There are so many questions for which I am seeking understanding and so this is my work. I want to rigorously delve into this challenge. I am interested in the insidious psychic dissonance of the colonial project and, as a believer in lifelong learning, being satisfied with the status quo for me is to surrender to fear. If you only create from a comfortable familiar place you don’t grow. Without taking risks and pushing boundaries, my art would remain stagnant and my creative spirit would have been wasted on my fears.
This curiosity feeds my experimentation.I feel frustration with the gulf in my knowledge of our heritage. My most recent work considers the indigenous heritage of the wider Caribbean, particularly Taino and African cosmology. This work is a tool for reflection, exhuming the forgotten mysteries of the Indigenous and African presence by creating visual poetry in sculpture that is saturated with metaphors, motifs and materials that celebrate our First Peoples. I purposefully use materials [feathers, shells, stone, gourds, seeds, wood, bones and architectural detritus] that I find in the environment to reinforce my connection to specific geography.
<PERSON> ‘Terra Preta,’ which uses an array of materials, including Queen Palm fronds, macaw feathers, bicycle wheels, wood, silk, recycled cast iron, bronze, ribbon and an ostrich egg. Photo by <PERSON>, courtesy Kunstinstituut Melly, used with permission. 216