2024 has been a fantastic year for three Caymanian artists. Their achievements showcase Cayman’s talent in the international art world, and inspire those who wish to enter the fine art field. The following artists all have work(s) in the National Collection and are familiar names in the local art community:
John Reno Jackson:
This year, John Reno Jackson became the first Caymanian to attend the prestigious Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. The RCA has been ranked the #1 University for Art and Design globally for the past 10 years. Jackson will join an internationally renowned studio-based master’s program in painting, which holds a reputation for producing artists at the forefront of the discipline. In addition to Jackson’s acceptance into RCA, he has been awarded the highly competitive Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship. Named after the legendary British-Guyanese painter Sir Frank Bowling, OBE, RA the scholarship is awarded to those who demonstrate great talent and promise. This news is a great testament to the artistic vision and dedication Jackson continues to show as a young Caymanian artist.
Jackson’s work explores narratives of Caymanian contemporary culture and identity, and these themes were evident in his first solo exhibition at NGCI. In June 2022 the artist’s exhibition – John Reno Jackson: A Heron Amongst the Storm – debuted in the Dart Auditorium Community Gallery. The show was comprised of paintings and charcoal drawings outlining the artist’s journey through self-discovery, creative expression, and experimentation. From this exhibition, the painting, a heron amongst the storm, was acquired by NGCI and can be viewed in the current exhibition The Ties That Bind: A Journey Through the National Collection. Jackson’s a heron amongst the storm stands beside other Caymanian works which chronicle Cayman’s cultural evolution, interweaving the traditional and contemporary.
Brandon Saunders:
Brandon Saunders has recently completed his Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) at the Ruskin School of Art (RSA). The RSA is the Fine Art Department of the University of Oxford and one of the top art schools in Europe. Established in 1871, with an endowment from well-known art critic John Ruskin, the RSA has a rich history of noteworthy tutors and alumni, a testament to its success as an institution. Their MFA program attracts high-achieving emerging artists, like that of Saunders who has already found great success in his early career. With an interest in art and graphic design, he is an example of how young Caymanians can pursue their interests in the fine art field.
In 2017, Saunders’ artwork Osiris was included in NGCI’s exhibition, Upon the Seas. Drawing inspiration from Caymanian history, popular culture, and folklore, Osiris blends fiction and reality: with the profile of a human face seamlessly blended with the spiral form of a conch shell. Osiris was so well received that it was adopted into the NGCI’s permanent collection and can be viewed in NGCI’s current exhibition The Ties That Bind: A Journey Through the National Collection. Additionally, Saunders’ work was featured in NGCI’s Cross Currents – 1st Cayman Islands Biennial in 2019, where he won runner-up for the Emerging Artist Award. Two years later, he exhibited in Reimagined Futures – 2nd Cayman Islands Biennial, and was the first place recipient of the same award.
David Bridgeman:
David Bridgeman completed his Master’s degree at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA), obtaining the MLitt award in the practice of fine art. Established in 1845, the GSA is recognised internationally as one of Europe’s top institutions in the visual creative disciplines. The GSA famously holds a postgraduate degree show recognised as one of Glasgow’s largest public exhibitions and this year, Bridgeman’s work is an installation entitled Sally’s Land, compiling various constructions and screen prints built off the traditional pub game ‘Aunt Sally’ dating back to the 17th century. There is a mischievous and playful narrative accompanying the faceless figures called ‘sallies’; Bridgeman states, “humour and the often-chaotic senselessness of life are present here.”
Bridgeman is no stranger to the local art community, having his work showcased across Cayman and in several NGCI exhibitions over the years. Some of these include: Anchored in Landscapes (2005), Arreckly: Towards a Cultural Identity (2007), Art of Assemblage (2013), The Road Not Taken (Bridgeman’s solo show, 2014), Metamorphoses (2014), tIDal Shift: Explorations of Identity in Contemporary Caymanian Art (2015), All Access (2015), Upon the Seas (2017), Mediating Self (2017), Cross Currents – 1st Cayman Islands Biennial (2019), and Tropical Visions (2019). His extensive participation in these exhibitions highlights Bridgeman as a figurehead in Cayman’s art community. Having moved to Cayman in 1987 to teach, he is known by many as an artist, teacher, and friend.
Sources:
https://www.development.ox.ac.uk/ruskin
https://www.rsa.ox.ac.uk/degreeshow/2024/mfa/brandon-saunders
https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/programme-finder/painting-ma/
https://www.caymancompass.com/2018/02/04/teens-artwork-features-at-national-gallery/
https://gsapostgradshowcase.net/david-bridgeman/