The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is proud to announce the award recipients for the 4th Cayman Islands Biennial, Archipelago. Following a lively award ceremony held on Friday, 23 January, the National Gallery has recognized a selection of artists whose work exemplifies the technical proficiency and conceptual exploration defining the contemporary Caymanian art scene.
Archipelago, co-curated by Davin K. Ebanks and Dr. Joseph L. Underwood, brought together 76 artworks by 60 artists/collectives across six venues on all three islands. This year’s Biennial explores the unique intersection between individual identity and collective experience during a period of rapid national transformation. By framing Caymanian society as an archipelago—both a single conglomerate entity and a collection of distinct parts—the exhibition serves as a nexus for open dialogue, critique and personal reflection on global geopolitics, social isolation, and the evolving identity of the nation.
The Awards
The Biennial’s highest honour, the Bendel Hydes Award, named after the late pioneer of Caymanian contemporary art, was presented during the evening’s festivities. This prestigious accolade carries a significant monetary prize and the exclusive opportunity for the winner to develop a solo exhibition with the National Gallery.
The Emerging Artist Award was also presented, recognizing a practitioner who shows exceptional promise. This award includes a monetary grant specifically intended to support a residency program or professional training opportunity, furthering the Gallery’s mission to nurture the next generation of talent.
Meet the Winners
Jo Austin — Bendel Hydes Award Co-Winner – StreetView, 2025 – ongoing
Austin’s mechanized scroll forces viewers to put down their phones and use both hands (or a partner) to view her collection of drawings from South Church Street transferred onto a mechanised wooden scroll that only turns with two hands. By replacing digital pixels with for the original gesture of an artist, the work critiques the loneliness of social media and restores communal interaction.
Randy Chollette — Bendel Hydes Award Co-Winner – Laid in Stone, 2024-2025
Chollette’s sculpture uses cement blocks to represent generational growth, with worn bricks at the base and his signature “stained glass” style blocks at the peak, symbolising the aspirations of ancestors being fulfilled by future generations. The work honours the sacrifices of ancestors, illustrating that current success and privilege are inherited results of past struggles, and not achieved in isolation.
Iain MacRae— Emerging Artist Award Winner – Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, 2025
MacRae’s triptych uses layered symbolism, visual storytelling and scale to explore the interconnected identities of the three islands. By juxtaposing recognisable icons and symbols – natural, political, and commercial– the work speaks to shifting political ideologies, population growth, and the quiet erasure of cultural traditions embedded in daily life.
Stefan Langlois— Emerging Artist Award Runner-Up – Ode to Ten, 2025
Located at Gram Bella’s, Langlois’ installation uses the legend of the 1794 Wreck of the Ten Sail to question if the heroic acts said to have taken place are not in some way responsible for inviting the over-development and commercialization of the islands. The bold lines of his ode cut through land and building to demonstrate how the invasive, foreign elements have undermined indigenous structures and systems.
Special Commendations
In addition to the primary awards, the international awards jury felt it important to acknowledge four artists whose contributions to the exhibition deserved recognition. These Special Commendations were awarded to:
Nancy Barnard (née Kirkaldy) – Our Built Heritage: Identity Loss (and Protection) and The Clayton Nixon House, 2025
Andre Jennings – Inner Thoughts, 2025
Michael Mothen – Fisherman’s Dream, 2025
Elizabeth Paige Smith – In recognition of the scale, ambition, and quality of site-specific work at Gram Bella’s
NGCI offers its sincere thanks to the Hon. Isaac Rankine, Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture & Heritage, and Mrs. Julie Hunter, Parliamentary Secretary, for joining us on the night to present the awards to our winners, as well as to the Hon. Deputy Governor, Mr. Franz Manderson, Hon. Joseph Hew, and the Leader of the Opposition for their presence and continued support of the arts in our community. Additionally, the NGCI would also like to express its gratitude to the Awards Jury – Dr. Carl A. Brown, Kerri-Anne Chisholm, Davin K. Ebanks, Dr. Veerle Poupeye, and Dr. Joseph L. Underwood – for their rigorous selection process, as well as to our partner venues—the Cayman Islands National Museum, Little Cayman Museum, Brac Heritage House, Mission House, and Gram Bella’s—for their support in making this a dynamic tri-island event. Last but not least, we wholeheartedly congratulate and thank all the artists that contributed their work to the exhibition:
James Adams, Kimberly Ann Agbuya, Diane Leitch Anglim, Shane “Dready” Aquârt, Jo Austin, Alok Bhardwaj, John Bird, Luelan (a.k.a. Lutz) Bodden, Debbie Chase van der Bol, Dubadah Boldeau, Cameron Bridgeman, Kristy Capewell, Nasaria Suckoo Chollette, Randy Chollette, Anne-Marie Diaz, David Bridgeman & Leonard Dilbert, Bryony Dixon, Rhian Campbell & Meegan Ebanks & Sean Ebanks, Conroy Ebanks, Kerwin Ebanks, Kaitlyn Elphinstone, Kathryn Elphinstone, Jasmina Cibic (feat. Rita Estevanovich), Samuel Etoh, Daniel Grimes, Zuri Hannah, Joanna Humphries, Martina Jackson, John Reno Jackson, Andre Jennings, Esther Johnson, Pam Kelly-Laurenson, Cera-Tan Kennaird, Jason Kennedy, Deborah Kern, Nancy Barnard (née Kirkaldy), STOAK’D (Marc Laurenson) & FOOTS (Ronald Kynes), Stefan Langlois, Faye Lippitt, Iain A. MacRae, Magpie, Linda McCann, Sarah McDougall, Alyssa McLaughlin, Michael A. Mothen, Heather Holt & Morgan Olley, Claire Pettinati, José Plácido, Yonier Powery, Brandon Saunders, Janine Scriven, Amrita Sinha, Elizabeth Paige Smith, Kay Smith, Sisters’ Art (Lana Gilyun & Larisa Sved), Simon Tatum, Cecilia Urdaneta, Alyssa Whorms, and Zhenya Xia.
As the Biennial enters its final weeks, the public is encouraged to visit the various exhibition sites before the official closing on February 18, 2026. To celebrate the success of the exhibition and the artists involved, a closing party will be held on Tuesday, February 17. We invite the community to join us for this final celebration of our incredibly talented group of artists.
Archipelago – 4th Cayman Islands Biennial is on view until 18 February. Admission to the Gallery and the exhibitions is free to all. Opening times are Monday to Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm. For more information about the exhibitions and the associated programme of events please email Maia Muttoo, Education Manager, at education@nationalgallery.org.ky or visit the What’s On page to learn more.
This project was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors: Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited and the support of the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage.
About the Biennial
Debuting in 2019 with Cross Currents – 1st Cayman Islands Biennial, The Cayman Islands Biennial is the National Gallery’s multi-site, tri-island project designed to present the latest developments within the Caymanian contemporary art scene, assembling an assortment of the strongest works in a variety of media from artists across the Cayman Islands, the Caymanian diaspora, and their international collaborators. As a nexus for collaborative exchange of critical ideas and imaginative possibilities, the model brings together artists to address urgent social and political shifts pertinent to the Islands. Artists are encouraged to critically engage with the year’s themes as they manifest on personal, national, or international levels, or the relationship between those spheres.
About the National Gallery
Established in 1996, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is the country’s leading visual arts museum and education centre, charged with promoting and encouraging the appreciation and practice of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands. This mission is achieved through exhibitions, education/outreach programmes, school tours, community festivals, and ongoing research projects. Holding up to six exhibitions annually at our central exhibition space, and satellite venues around Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, the curatorial team strives to create a balance between exhibitions of quality Caymanian artwork with art from further afield. This is achieved by working with a broad cross-section of artists and ranging from site-specific work to more traditional gallery-based projects.
NGCI is at the forefront of visual arts education in the Cayman Islands hosting 25+ education and outreach programmes monthly, across all three islands. These programmes aim to capture every age group in our community from the youngest pre-schoolers to senior citizens, in addition to marginalized members of our community. They combine arts education with enriching creative experiences which foster creativity, help build self-esteem, and provide effective and invaluable explorations of culture, cultural heritage, national identity and community values.