4/25/2008 6:14:00 AM
Snapshot of our contemporary art scene
86 works by 41 local artists; Biennial 2008 starts this weekend
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| Thought provoking art: Artist Gail Santucci-Palacio earned herself a spot in the prestigious 2008 Biennial with her installation piece “Feral Chickens?”
* Photo by Eloisa Mayers |
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| Musician and artist Miles Manders has mounted musically inspired pen and ink portraits at the 2008 Biennial, on show from this weekend to September 4.
* Photo by Gail Santucci-Palacio |
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Eloisa Mayers
The Bermuda National Gallery opens the 2008 Biennial Exhibition this weekend, with organizers lauding it as the most provocative and compelling collections of contemporary art ever to be displayed on the island.
Featuring 86 works by 41 local artists, selected by an international jury with critical eyes, the exhibition comprises a wide range of mixed media including water colours, photography and installation art. Artists who have been resident in Bermuda for at least six months during the competition period were encouraged to submit their best work to the panel regardless of commercial appeal. In total, the jury received 250 submissions from 68 artists.
BNG Director Laura Gorham said in a presentation to the island's media this week; "Every two years the Biennial presents a snapshot of our contemporary art scene and this year the picture is as diverse, thought provoking and innovative as ever. Indeed, we think this is one of the strongest biennials we have ever mounted."
During this eighth edition of the biennial viewers should expect non-traditional works, geared at expressing a multitude of individual artistic voices.
Ms Gorham explained the walls of the gallery are filled with art which has "gone out on a limb, or speaks to a deeper place" encouraging the audience to examine their own beliefs against the backdrop of controversial social issues. "As far as I'm concerned this is the best exhibition I've seen," she added, "but I invite the public to come and judge it themselves."
The jurors for this year's Biennial were Mark Krisco, Artist, Curator and Instructor, Art Institute of Chicago and Franklin Sirmans, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. In addition to works by established artists such as Sharon Wilson, Charles Zuill, Will Collieson, Caroline Troncossi, Vaughan and Amy Evans, and Jill Amos Raine, the Biennial showcases new talent such as Frank Chiappa, Fiona Rose Rodriguez-Roberts, Charles Godet Thomas, and Susan Pearson.
Artist Gail Santucci-Palacio, a first time Biennial exhibitor, created an installation piece Feral Chickens? - using materials such as chicken figures, a chicken coop, beer bottles, and workman's boots - all objects rarely depicted in art.
"My art comes from the heart. This installation is me in my neighborhood. I feel this is contemporary art but it's also a scene from yesterday, today, and tomorrow, it's an imitation of life," she explained.
Women's roles in society were explored by Charman prize winner Katherine Harriott, who mounted an installation piece made from window screen entitled "Law of the first night". The work is symbolic, but spectators should understand the main message is about legal inaccessibility.
"This piece really depicts a wider social message of how wives in Bermuda are viewed as chattels; there are no laws in Bermuda that protect common law spouses as there are in many other countries around the world. You can battle it out in the courts, but really you shouldn't have to," she added. "It's about greater social protection for the community and who has and who does not have access to rights such as education, legal protection and employment."
Human tragedy and violence against women was the subject of a floor to ceiling water color based on the rape and murder of Canadian tourist Rebecca Middleton by artist John Gardner.
Musician Miles Manders, another new biennial talent, said he is "over the moon" at winning a spot in the prestigious exhibition. The pen and ink portraits he created were inspired by jazz legends Charlie Parker and John Coltrain. Mr. Manders was also enthusiastic about the collection of artistic styles.
Big event
"This is to my knowledge one of the best exhibitions of contemporary art ever to be seen in Bermuda. I wasn't aware of the gravity of this and what a big event it is especially realizing the impact this will have on other artists and the public," he said.
Another first for the Biennial is the production of a documentary film by Antoine Hunt in which BNG Curator Sophie Cressall and Education Director Lisa Howie interview the artists, many in their studios, giving added context and understanding of the work being produced. Bermudian scholar Dr. Christina Storey, who earned a BA in History and Literature from Harvard and a PhD in Modern History from Oxford University, examines the role of both collections and exhibitions in an essay supplementing the 108 page Biennial catalogue.
Want to go?
The Biennial is open to the public at the Bermuda National Gallery from April 25 to September 4.
The Biennial is presented by Bacardi Limited in association with Royal Caribbean International.
The gallery is open from 10am to 4pm from Monday to Saturday, admission is free.
Visit www.bng.bm for more information.
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