Currently browsing: National Exhibition

By Kevanté A. C. Cash, NAGB Correspondent. In conversation with the National Exhibition 9 Artist-in-Residence Danny Davis about his work for the upcoming Ninth National Exhibition. The Ninth National Exhibition (NE9), under the patronage of the Hon. Lanisha Rolle, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, is scheduled to open on Thursday, December 13th, 2018 at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) beginning at 6:00 pm. The NAGB will support the work of 38 artists under its theme “The Fruit and The Seed”. One of the artists being Danny Davis, the NE9 artist-in-residence which is supported in partnership with The Current Gallery and Art Studios. Davis is a lecturer at the University of The Bahamas, a chemist turn woodworker, an unorthodox match to say the least. He has lived between Nassau and Freeport for most of his creative career and has been able to draw inspiration for his work from both islands. I sat with him to engage in a rather exciting discourse about his interpretation of NE9’s theme, and how it will be shown through his piece.

By Natalie Willis. “Space is not a scientific object removed from ideology or politics. It has always been political and strategic.” – Henri Lefebvre. But how do you strategize something that grows organically? Cities pose that very question for us. Henri Lefebvre, a French philosopher and sociologist with a heavy Marxist influence, was interested in the fabric of our everyday lives and particularly in the ownership of spaces, particularly cities. I’d wager he’d have a field day in Nassau – with our planned and unplanned spaces, historic and new, and that the upcoming printmaking project by Jenna Chaplin for the National Exhibition 9 (NE9) might whet his appetite too.

On Friday, February 24th, the NAGB in collaboration with Hillside House staged a closing event to mark the end of the National Exhibition 8 OFFsite exhibition. The event featured an artists’ talk with participating artists Del Foxton, Keisha Oliver, Alicia Wallace, and Natalie Willis.  The discussion focused 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. 

t is quite apparent in taking a stroll around the 8th National Exhibition (NE8) that there are a number of works by women, for a start, but also that many of these works by women deal with just that, with womanhood. These works are explicitly centered on the feminist canon of tackling the issue of women’s rights, or more subtly trying to turn our eyes to other aspects of femininity. Take, for example, the work of Averia Wright and her nuanced reinterpretations of our straw-work culture and the feminine, or the collaborative effort of Joann Behagg and Jackie Pinder with their clay tower of faces and chains confronting basic human rights for women and girls.  

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.

On Friday, February 17th, starting at 6 p.m., the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas will host an artists’ talk with four artists from the NE8 including Margot Bethel, Dr. Ian Bethell-Bennett, Susan Katz-Lightbourne and Jordanna Kelly. 

Bahamian women are often thought of as being outspoken, strong, ‘biggity’ – dare I say – and perhaps it is a result of this legacy of women who won’t suffer fools gladly, that has lead to women being painted in a less favourable light. But can we be blamed? After the referendum, it became clear that many of us felt less-than, and the women artists participating in the 8th National Exhibition (NE8) have made their voices heard. Particularly, emerging artists Jodi Minnis and a first-time National Exhibition participant, Cynthia Rahming.

The team at The National ArtGallery of The Bahamas is thrilled to share installation and in progress shots from the upcoming National Exhibition 8 (NE8) set to open on Thursday, December 15th at the NAGB and on Saturday, December 17th at Hillside House our OFFsite for this year’s rendition.