Continuing our focus on artists featured in the latest National Exhibition, NE8—on view at NAGB until 16 April—Blank Canvashost Amanda Coulson speaks with three local practitioners whose work begins with deeply personal ideas yet resonates with global concerns.
Jordanna Kelly, born in Nassau and winner of the Central Bank’s Open Category Prize, shares her ongoing project Discarded Pearls. Inspired by the beauty of Bahamian sand, Jordanna set out to collect samples from 17 inhabited islands to create a portrait of the nation. Her journey revealed unexpected challenges and a sense of disconnection across islands, making the work a continuing process.
Sue Katz-Lightbourn reflects on another kind of disconnection: that of The Other. Responding to the political climate in the U.S., she created a powerful sculpture using collaged archival photographs to address the Holocaust. Drawing on her Jewish heritage, Katz-Lightbourn explores fear and demonisation in today’s world.
Dede Brown discusses Just Another Version of You, an aluminium portrait whose twisted elements symbolise how we break apart and rebuild after trauma—a metaphor that extends to nations navigating global upheaval.