On Friday, February 24th, the NAGB in collaboration with Hillside House will stage a closing event to mark the end of the National Exhibition 8 OFFsite exhibition. The event will feature an artists’ talk with participating artists Del Foxton, Keisha Oliver, Cynthia Rahming, Alicia Wallace, and Natalie Willis.
The discussion will focus on the projects developed for the NE8, which speak to practices that give attention to subjectivities. These include the rise of the woman’s voice in the local creative community and the plight for gender equality in The Bahamas. Alongside that, we will open up a window on Keisha Oliver’s Porch Conversations, which draws out dying narratives, seeking to resuscitate oral traditions that are quickly being lost to the modern material of our everyday lives.
Emerging artist Cynthia Rahming will also speak towards the development of her first public installation, The Gaulin Wife, which highlights the importance of the folktale (moral tale) in our literary culture. We will also explore how the powerful story is connected to a generation of women who are now seeking to expand on the constructs of female and gender identity and the mores that belie the dangers and warnings of such a tale.
Cynthia Rahming. The Gaulin Wife. Installation at Hillside House for the National Exhibition 8.
A critical component of the National Exhibition 8 is the inclusion of works from Grand Bahama-based artists. One of this year’s installations culminated in the collaborative project, Sharing my Journey: Not My Grandmother’s Quilt. Uniting seven artists, stitching together various narratives, the piece creates an open platform for thinking about cultural diversity. Lead collaborator, Del Foxton, will share ideas around the development of the project along with collaborator, writer and activist, Alicia Wallace.
Hilary Booker. The Moonflower Room. Installation at Hillside House for the National Exhibition 8.
To end the evening, Natalie Willis will unveil a series of three public paintings continuing the expansion of her video work Rivet which borderlines autobiography, fiction and ethnographic explorations of feminism, Blackness, and belonging. Viewers will also have the opportunity to view the remnants and studies of the Moonflower Room from the former NE8 Artist-in-Residence, Hilary Booker.
