50|50

The Double Dutch series represents a landmark initiative by the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, designed to foster collaboration and dialogue among regional artists. This innovative platform brings together creators who, while sharing historical and cultural ties, are often divided by geography and language. By encouraging partnerships built around shared personal, political, and conceptual themes, the project seeks to provoke fresh perspectives on contemporary Caribbean identity. Through these exchanges, Double Dutch highlights the value of creative synergy in navigating the complexities of the region’s history, economy, and cultural practices.

For the inaugural Double Dutch, Bahamian-born, London-based artist Blue Curry and Bermudian artist James Cooper present their collaborative body of work, 50|50. Drawing inspiration from the jump-rope game “double dutch,” the project uses the game’s requirement for balance, momentum, and shared energy as a metaphor for creative exchange. Curry and Cooper, who previously worked together in 2014 for the Transforming Spaces exhibition After the Flood, build on their shared history to explore ideas of conceptualism, tropicality, exoticism, and minimalism. Their contributions engage viewers with themes of disruption, adaptation, and the reinterpretation of familiar cultural tropes.