Antonius Roberts: Art, Ecology, and Sacred Space

Antonius Roberts: Art, Ecology, and Sacred Space is a retrospective exhibition highlighting the breadth of Antonius Roberts’ career, with a particular focus on his iconic public sculptures crafted from found timber.

Using Roberts’ Sacred Spaces installation at Clifton Pier as a point of departure, the exhibition’s curator Dr. Krista Thompson notes, “This exhibition examines how Antonius Roberts, OBE (b. 1958), over decades, has used the island’s environmental, ecological, and architectural remnants to call attention to under-recognized Black and Indigenous building, spatial, and aesthetic practices, while simultaneously creating decolonial spaces for artists in the postcolonial Bahamas.”

Organized by Roberts’ use of media, rather than following a chronological approach typical of retrospectives, the exhibition delves into the environmental and ecological challenges posed by climate change. It highlights how Caribbean communities creatively respond to these pressing issues, offering insights into the global environmental futures we collectively face.

Antonius Roberts, OBE (b. 1958), grew up on Lewis Street in Nassau, a foundation that shapes his work and connection to history and community. After earning a BFA in painting from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1981, he became a teacher, lecturer, and mentor, coordinating FINCO Summer Art Workshops and serving as Curator of The Central Bank of The Bahamas’ Art Gallery.

Roberts is known for his Sacred Space sculptures, which began at the Clifton Heritage site and expanded internationally to Germany and other locations. His global career includes residencies and exhibitions in Italy, China, and Iowa. In 2009, Roberts transitioned to open space design, creating a seven-acre park at Centreville House, and later designed Bubbles for Lynden Pindling International Airport in 2013.

As the first Artist-in-Residence at Schooner Bay, Abaco, and through his establishment of Hillside House Studio & Gallery in 2012, Roberts has integrated art with conservation. He later founded Project I.C.E., restoring a warehouse as a creative incubator. In 2022, he facilitated an exchange residency with OCAD University in Toronto, further fostering collaboration.

Roberts’ work reflects his spiritual connection, commitment to Bahamian heritage, and dedication to conservation, preservation, and mentorship.

This exhibition is curated by Dr. Krista Thompson, Mary Jane Crowe Professor of Art History at Northwestern University. She teaches modern and contemporary art and visual culture of the Africa Diaspora and the Caribbean. Her publications have included An Eye for the Tropics (Duke University Press, 2006); En Mas': Carnival and Performance Art of the Caribbean, edited with Claire Tancons (DAP, 2015); and Shine: The Visual Economy of Light in African Diasporic Aesthetic Practice (Duke University Press, 2015), recipient of the Charles Rufus Morey Award for distinguished book in the history of art from the College Art Association (2016). These books and her curatorial projects examine the creative uses of space and performative and/or lens-based practices in colonial and postcolonial Caribbean and African diasporic societies. Thompson has received fellowships from the Andy Warhol Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the David C. Driskell Prize from the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA.

Dates

Feb 2–Aug 13, 2023

Location

NAGB
All Galleries

Special Exhibition

Special exhibitions spotlight the best of contemporary Bahamian art through one-off shows. Curated around specific themes, they offer diverse perspectives beyond the NAGB’s permanent collection.