National Exhibition 10: MERCY

On the cusp of the 50th anniversary of national independence and sovereignty in 2023, the perennial and restorative theme of mercy is a portal to the imagination through which the country may experience art that explores the NE 10 theme through a vibrant constellation of artistic media.

The vision of the exhibition is for participants to approach the theme of mercy through the reciprocal lens and mutuality of the phase, “It blesseth him that gives and him that takes,” which defines the framework. Mercy is a virtue—a balm, a curative that renews, replenishes, recalibrates, revives, repurposes, relieves, resets, reimagines relationships, institutions, communities, and lands.

NE 10 serves as a litmus test of what ‘is’ and ‘could be’ in the context of the many signs, features, currents and hallmarks of the times in which we are living and through which we are moving. These include, but are not limited to, our collective experience of natural disaster; climate change and ecological concerns; the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for greater restorative justice and criminal justice reform; and the harshness and intemperateness that often marks our daily lives and discourse, including social and other media.

This tenth exhibition is another nationwide opportunity for collaboration with a diverse community of Bahamian artists, creatives and storytellers to reflect on the shared theme of mercy, evoking personal and collective historical experience. NE 10 is another opportunity to engage in conversation that is inclusive, highly participative, respectful, and courageous and a renewed dialogue about how we are shaping our future.