By Letitia Pratt, Associate Curator
On the side of the colonial home that holds our exhibition spaces, there is a small hill of native wood that you can get lost in. Once the site of the historical African Hospital, the NAGB Art Park is filled with native trees and winding pathways curved around sculptures. There are a few sculptures in the garden that are made by Tyrone Ferguson, a Bahamian master metalsmith whose work can be seen in many private collections and public displays throughout Nassau. One of my favourite pieces of Tyrone’s is his Rake and Scrape sculpture that stands in the middle of the Frederick Street steps. Commissioned in 2010 by the Ministry of Tourism, the bright, geometric steel sculpture completely transforms the space. This is what Tyrone Ferguson’s work does, and many of the pieces that we hold in possession at the museum transform the collection and the space into a place of play.
Tyrone Ferguson has made an art career of manipulating metals. He is considered one of the most prolific blacksmiths in The Bahamas, with over five decades of experience. Throughout his career, he has mentored other Bahamian masters, like John Beadle, on metalworking – Beadle specifically went on to create a plethora of works using his newfound skills, including Make yourself known…At the gate (2013) which is now part of NAGB’s collection. A part of Let yourself be known…at the Gate is a direct reference to Ferguson’s sculptures, Bumper (1996), Untitled (Rake bird) (n.d.), and Cyclution(n.d.). Despite the apparent simplicity of the pieces, the three sculptures are masterful in form: Bumper specifically communicates a female figure that is both delicate and voluptuous, something that is hard to communicate with metal alone.
The process of metal welding is an interesting one: the artisan must be decisive and quick with their movements, bending the metal with a sure hand. Tyrone’s delicate structures communicate a strength and precision that very few artists can replicate. Untitled (Rake-Bird) is a good example of his sure-handed experimentation; its delicate outstretched wings are a purposeful communication of the bird-form, despite the raw material being a rake. Tyrone’s ability to transform anything he sources is a characteristic shared by many of the Bahamian masters, as art materials are hard to come by on the islands. He makes quick decisions in creating the pieces – a reflection of mental acuity that has allowed Tyrone to be playful with the forms he chooses to create.
Due to the nature of his work, Tyrone thrives when he is creating large-scale architectural and public installations. You can find his sculptures all around New Providence; but some of his most experimental could be found in our Art Park. Much like Rake and Scrape, the works within the Art Park transform the trees it sits between into a place of play and experimentation. Take Untitled (Wood and Metal Figure): this small figure seems like a nymph or an ancestor with a mouth open to give messages as you pass it by. The figure is almost child-like, its wooden and metal mediums grounding the human-like features in the environment. Throughout his career, Tyrone has spoken about connecting his practice to traditional African metalworking practices – and the face of Untitled (Wood and Metal Figure) seems to be reminiscent of those traditional forms – I think of the flat-headed and short-armed Akua’ba of the Akan people whenever I walk by this sculpture. Like any good work, Tyrone stimulates the mind and encourages imagination and story.
You can see more of Tyrone’s work throughout the grounds of NAGB: in the galleries, in the Park, at the gate – his experimental spirit runs throughout the institution.