Alchemy

This mid-career survey exhibition explores the artistic practice of Horacio Esteban, a key figure in the Native Sons art collective and one of Cayman’s leading artists who’s work has featured in numerous exhibitions and who has received widespread critical and public acclaim.

A sculptor, painter, jeweller, and craftsman, Esteban has a prolific and diverse creative process that is driven by an inherent sense of discovery, akin to that of a Renaissance man. Through his remarkable imagination and skill, he transforms locally sourced or reclaimed materials, ranging from cedar, driftwood limestone and Caymanite, into strange and marvellous animals and artefacts, creating a new world for us to encounter.

Subsequently, to create a connecting thread for this diverse collection of artworks, the curators have created an immersive experience where the audience becomes an explorer – travelling into the magical realm of Horacio Esteban in search of new wonders and curiosities. Initially starting in The Explorer’s Study with its diverse collection of objects and artefacts, the viewer then steps out into the marine and terrestrial environment where fantastical creatures – such as a bygone ‘Caiman’ for example – are brought life in a primordial forest of fallen cedar wood and unearthed Caymanite.

Supported by Davenport Development Ltd., Ogier, and the Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing, it includes works from the artist’s private collection, and well as artwork from the National Gallery’s permanent collection, the collections of the Office of the Premier, the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, and several private collections.