National Gallery Launches Second Cayman Islands Biennial
Press Release
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, with support from Susan A. Olde, OBE, and Butterfield, is pleased to announce the launch of the second Cayman Islands Biennial, a tri-island multi-venue art project that seeks to showcase the very latest developments in the contemporary art scene every two years.
This year the project is organised under the title ‘Reimagined Futures’ and the curatorial team have invited artists to respond to the monumental upheavals that have taken place in 2020 including: the worldwide impact of the coronavirus pandemic, ongoing concerns relating to climate change and environmental stewardship, social equity and justice movements, and questions of identity and belonging in the wake of rapid changes within our country. Seeking to adopt a more affirmative vision of the world we are now inhabiting, the guiding theme for this Biennial is intended to recast the long months of lockdown as an extended interlude — an opportunity for all of us to pause and reflect on our collective future.
Following an Open Call for participation to artists across the Cayman Islands and the Caymanian diaspora that was announced in November 2020, NGCI received submissions from 75 local artists. The final selection, shortlisted through a rigorous juried process, includes work by 41 local artists in a wide variety of media: from painting, photography and video, to collage, textiles, drawing and sculpture, as well as installation and video art. Participating artists include: Jawara Alleyne, Shane ‘Dready’ Aquârt, Megan Arch, Wray Banker, Heidi Bassett Blair, Cameron Bridgeman, David Bridgeman, John Broad, Kristy Capewell, Randy Chollette, Frans De Backer, Leonard Dilbert, Bryony Dixon, Al Ebanks, Davin Ebanks, Kerwin G. Ebanks, Kaitlyn Elphinstone, Kathryn Elphinstone, Carlos V. Garcia, Teresa Grimes, Jamie Hahn, Heather Holt, Jenney Jackson, John Reno Jackson, Stoak’d (Marc Laurenson and Pam Kelly-Laurenson), Tansy Maki, Chris Mann, Sarah McDougall, Michael A. Mothen, Christina Pineda, Yonier Powery, Brandon Saunders, Simone Scott, Gordon Solomon, Nasaria Suckoo Chollette, Scott Swing, Karoly Szücs, Simon Tatum, Debbi Truchan and Marcie Wood.
In keeping with the concept of a Biennial – which is a large-scale multisite exhibition project featuring numerous artists that recurs every two years – artworks are being displayed simultaneously at six different locations across the Cayman Islands. Project hosts include the National Gallery as the Biennial’s primary organiser, along with Owen Roberts International Airport, the National Trust’s Mission House, the QEII Botanic Park, the Little Cayman Museum, along with special programming in Cayman Brac. Each site has a unique element of the project with some functioning as a venue for multiple artists and others, as in the case of Mission House and Botanic Park, as sites for single art intervention. Speaking as a project host, John Lawrus, General Manager of the QEII Botanic Park, said “As the Park is a living gallery of our native flora, we are very pleased to be a partner and installation location for the National Gallery’s Biennial. We hope to engage lovers of arts and nature in one location as they discover the impact of art within a natural setting.”
The National Gallery is grateful to each of the satellite hosts for working with the curatorial team to help realise the vision for the Biennial as a single exhibition across the Cayman Islands. “Together these sites create a platform for a series of dynamic conversations between the exhibited artworks and the broader social and cultural context in which they are situated,” says a statement by the curatorial team. “It is this sensitivity and responsiveness to pressing issues, both local and global, that characterises the works in this exhibition— concerns that unite the multiple voices of the Biennial’s featured artists.”
The Biennial project also includes the prestigious Bendel Hydes’ Award programme, with awards being presented to the top selected artist, as well as an Emerging Artist Award for the most promising newcomer. Supported by National Gallery Chairperson Mrs Susan A. Olde, OBE, both Awards will be selected by a jury of international curators and announced in June. The project is also supported by an extensive education programme of workshops, panel discussions, screenings and lectures relating to the Biennial sub-themes and designed to provide developmental support for the art community as well as to introduce the public to both established and emerging artists.
The project is curated by Kerri-Anne Chisholm, Paige Jordison, William Helfrecht, Maia Muttoo and Natalie Urquhart, with the original selection committee comprising Kerri-Anne Chisholm, Amanda Coulson, Davin Ebanks and Emé Paschalides. It has once again been made possible through partnership with the inaugural Biennial supporters, Mrs Susan A. Olde, OBE, Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited, and the Ministry of Culture. Speaking of the ongoing collaboration, Michael McWatt, Butterfield’s Managing Director, commented, “The Biennial endeavors to showcase the high-calibre of work currently practiced in the Cayman Islands and recognise the very best of Cayman’s artistic talent through a competitive awards process. This year is no exception and the 42 artists featured in the showcase truly illustrate the remarkable creative talent that we have here in Cayman. As a committed supporter of the arts and a longtime partner of National Gallery exhibitions and programmes Butterfield is pleased continue our partnership for the second Cayman Islands Biennial.” For a full list of all workshops, lectures and events running throughout the Biennial please email education@nationalgallery.org.ky.