Bermuda's devastating gun crime has touched every corner of our community in one way or another and now it is being reflected in the art world.
Several of the artists shortlisted for the third annual Charman Prize, which opens on February 5, have chosen the theme of escalating crime and gun violence in Bermuda including Caroline Troncossi, Steve Conway, Jon Legere and Calix Socrates Smith.
Caroline Troncossi's work features a plastic gun painted blood red, Jon Legere has printed a picture of a gun into a book, Calix Socrates Smith has smothered a canvass in crime-related newspaper headlines clippings. Artist Steve Conway has created an installation using old Bermuda windows with bits of newspaper about home break-ins and gunshot violence with the outline of bodies in red and gunshot holes in the glass.
The Charman Prize made no reference to artists about the theme of crime - the problem of guns in Bermuda was just at the forefront of many artists' minds.
Special projects coordinator at Masterworks Gallery, Kate Waters, said: "Artists are bracing the opportunity to voice their encounters with the subject matter of great import to the Bermuda community. I guess in that way they can discover ways to express and heal.
"These works are not necessarily positive but they represent the sense of reality of the situation in Bermuda at the moment. "We can often look back on works that have won the Charman Prizes and see what issues people were aware of and thinking about it."
"It should be very interesting-I think we will have a section for crime-related work.
Individual works
"Though the themes of these pieces of work are similar the choice of media and the choice of representation are very different.
"Calix Socrates Smith's work is more Renaissance-focused - his perspective is that what we are going through is a renaissance.
"Steve Conway also uses newspaper clippings along with Caroline Troncossi but they are definitely different in their own ways."
The highly regarded Charman Prize will take place in the main gallery, the Butterfield Family Gallery, this year to recognize the significant contribution of Bermuda's contemporary resident artists to the community.
Ms Waters added: "We are putting these guys centre stage and for a longer period which we hope to maintain this policy for the rest of the life of the Charman prize."
Competition artworks are judged in four areas - Innovation, Serious (Social) Intent, Distinctive and Convincing Style and Use of Material.
The judges this year are Masterworks Artist in Residence Barbara Russell from New York City, Susan Menconi, Partner at Menconi and Schoelkopf LLC Fine Art in New York City, and James Toogood published art critic, artist, and teacher from Philadelphia.
Separately, Masterworks is planning a series of roundtable discussions and critique type sessions where people can explore making art with a social conscience. They plan to hold them in March and April.
