Next in exhibition series on display at Queen’s Park Gallery

Even before the scheduled 6 p.m. start, art lovers were already gathering for A Night of Art and Jazz.

Held on at the Queen’s Park Gallery, the evening signalled the start of the second phase of the Central Bank of Barbados Visual Arts Exhibition for 2023. This instalment, launched on Tuesday, is entitled We Came on Merchant Ships: Memories and Identities and follows the launch of We Came on Merchant Ships: Movement earlier in June.

Rodney Ifill, Visual Arts Officer of the National Cultural Foundation delivered the Vote of Thanks.

The series of showcases visually explores the concept of the necessity of trade for growth and expansion and the resultant consequences, rewards, and challenges from migration whether free or forced.

Members of Omoyele The Band.

The art expo curated by Oneka Small of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) features pieces by almost 30 artists. Those featured in this segment include Ras Daniel Alleyne, Neville Legall, Izora Devonish and Jaryd Niles-Morris. Their work scrutinises the intangible aspects of trade as they take viewers on an exploration of the memories of displaced people and how their identity is maintained in the new lands they occupied.

The audience enjoyed Kweku Jelani and his band.

Beyond the excellent pieces, patrons enjoyed an incredible display of musicianship by Kweku Jelani and the Omoyele Band. The ensemble of Andre Clarke on the keyboard, Juanita Clarke on drums and Gavin Miller on bass was accentuated by the vocals of Carol George. She powerfully delivered Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday and added her unique essence to Bob Marley’s Redemption Song. During their eclectic hour-long set they skilfully covered a range of genres.

In addition to rhythm and blues, Jelani added snippets of rappers Notorious B.I.G and Snoop Dogg’s tracks. The performer showed off his capabilities as a singer with Lovely Day by Bill Withers and wove in selections of his original music thrilling the appreciative audience. He finished with his own Do the Thang which was met with a resounding cheer when the musical journey was complete. The gastronomical delights on offer added to the pleasurable evening.

First-time attendee Markiesha Alleyne thoroughly enjoyed the event. She was especially impressed by the pieces of Neville Legall. 

“Overall I think it was phenomenal,” she told Barbados TODAY. “I don’t think I was aware that there was so much talent in Barbados to be quite honest. I see the growth of the arts coming up in Barbados more now than ever, so I look forward to seeing more of it.”

Attendees at the event included Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong and contemporary Caribbean multidisciplinary artist Sheena Rose.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. (STT) ]]>