Blank Canvas: August 30, 2017, Sofia Whitehead, Melissa Alcena and Tessa Whitehead

Joining host, Amanda Coulson, on The Blank Canvas tonight are Tessa Whitehead, curator of the upcoming show at The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, entitled “Diversions” and participating artists Melissa Alcena and Sofia Whitehead.

The exhibition showcases photography by Alcena and Whitehead and the Italian artist Alessandro Sarno, and explore the spaces outside the demands of daily life across The Bahamas. Subjects are captured outside of their daily schedules, participating in moments of relaxation and play.

The artists entered photography through very different avenues: Alcena completed a two-year Applied Photography course at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario while Whitehead studied business administration and marketing in Uruguay, before her love for photography led her to Foto Club in Uruguay, and Photoschule in Vienna, Austria.

Both speak to “re-discovering their country” through their practice and consciously thinking about positive aspects in a time of difficulty; not taking what we have for granted. “Diversions” contrasts a Bahamian’s appreciation of their country and its image to that of a visitor.

The Blank Canvas airs weekly on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. on Guardian radio 96.9 FM.