Of Skin and Sand

Of Skin and Sand brings together Jamaican artist Leasho Johnson and Bahamian artist Edrin Symonette, each presenting distinct yet interwoven bodies of work. The exhibition probes questions of gender, masculinity, and sexuality within a Black Caribbean context. Developed onsite in NAGB’s Ballroom, their individual installations engage in powerful visual dialogue, challenging social norms and the boundaries that shape them.

Leasho Johnson
Jamaica

Leasho Johnson (b. 1984, Montego Bay, Jamaica) was educated at Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts, where he graduated in 2009 with a degree in Visual Communication. Social commentary is central to Johnson’s practice, which often juxtaposes cartoon and realistic imagery to explore contradictions in Black life across the Caribbean and diaspora. Influenced by pop culture and graphic art, his work spans painting, sculpture, collage, street art, and digital media.

Edrin Symonette
The Bahamas

Edrin Symonette (b. 1986, The Bahamas) was raised on the island of Eleuthera. His work investigates identity through the act of construction, using material exploration to navigate the intersections of natural and manmade, traditional and experimental. Symonette has recently shifted toward process-based work, with an emphasis on how form, material, and concept communicate personal and collective histories.