In-store exclusive
Antonius Roberts: Art, Ecology, and Sacred Space is a major retrospective examining the expansive practice of Antonius Roberts, foregrounding his decades-long engagement with found timber, environmental stewardship, and the spiritual dimensions of place. Using his renowned Sacred Spaces installation at Clifton Heritage as a conceptual point of departure, curator Krista Thompson positions Roberts’ work within broader conversations about decolonial spatial practices, highlighting how he transforms the island’s environmental, ecological, and architectural remnants into sites that honour under-recognised Black and Indigenous building traditions while creating new cultural ground in the postcolonial Bahamas. Rather than following a strictly chronological structure, the exhibition is organised by media, revealing the artist’s movement between painting, sculpture, installation, and landscape intervention, and tracing how his practice responds to the urgent realities of climate change and ecological vulnerability across the Caribbean. From his upbringing on Lewis Street in Nassau to international residencies and public commissions, Roberts’ career reflects a sustained commitment to mentorship, conservation, and community-building—seen in initiatives such as Hillside House Studio & Gallery and Project I.C.E., alongside major public works including the Lynden Pindling International Airport installation Bubbles. This publication brings together new scholarly essays, archival and contemporary plates spanning decades of production, and a conversation with the artist, offering the most comprehensive examination of his practice to date. The exhibition and catalogue are supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation, underscoring the project’s significance at the intersection of art, ecology, and the built environment.
Publisher
National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
Year
2023
ISBN
978-976-8201-31-7
Format
Softcover; 10″ x 11″
Length
270 pages
Curator and Editor
Krista Thompson
Texts
Essays by Krista Thompson, Giulia Smith, Marielle Barrow Maignan; Conversation with Antonius Roberts and Grace Turner
Foreword
Theaster Gates
Design
Ivanna Gaitor
Printing
Southeastern Printing, Stuart, FL