National Exhibition 2

Jun 10, 2004–Jan 30, 2005

The second National Exhibition was held in 2004. It was decided that the biennial National Exhibition should feature the best of Bahamian art produced within the past two years. Though 141 proposals were submitted, only 56 interdisciplinary works were selected. It was unthemed and featured traditional Bahamian art themes, processes, and media. It also presented works by artists who had appropriated non-traditional processes. Abstract works were a strong area with Kendal Hanna’s “Inner Light” (2000) and “Portrait of Vincent D’Aguilar 2” (2000).

“Works in the exhibition represent a broad range of Bahamian art styles including abstract works, photography, three dimensional objects, and ceramics. The social commentary central to, and embodied in, the work of a number of artists is encouraging and shows signs of maturity.”

—Dr. Gail Saunders, NE2 catalogue foreword

The National Exhibition (NE) provides a platform for the creative community—both locally and in the diaspora—to channel their collective experiences in unpacking and rebuilding what Bahamian creativity is and can be. The biennial exhibition chronicles the island nation’s social, political, and cultural shifts in that time, while giving space for the community to grow and welcome emerging and established artists alike into its ranks.