21st Century Gigs
These sculptures creatively reinterpret the form of the gig or spinning top — one of the oldest toys in human history and ubiquitous across the Caribbean, including the Cayman Islands. They were created for the exhibition 21st Century Cayman at NGCI in 2010, which invited contemporary artists to collaborate with traditional craftspersons, in an attempt to revitalise traditional arts. These hand-crafted gigs, painted by artists Al Ebanks, Charles Long, and Nickola McCoy-Snell, embody the continuation of our traditional heritage in a way that is accessible and relevant to a younger generation.
About the Artist
Deal Ebanks
b. 1958
Deal Ebanks was born in West Bay, but moved with his family to Texas in the late 1970’s, before returning to Cayman in 2003. He works primarily with traditional Caymanian materials, producing objects such as gigs, calavans, singing kites, walking sticks, and wauri boards, which he displays at cultural and agricultural events through Cayman Traditional Arts (CTA). His proficiency with crafting these objects has earned him the title of “the gig man”. Ebanks is also a recipient of the McCoy Prize People’s Choice award (2006) and the Heritage Cross Silver in the National Arts and Culture Awards. He was a regular exhibitor at the NGCI Art@Governor’s festival and his exhibitions at NGCI include: Emergence (2004), 21st Century Cayman (2010), Art of Assemblage (2013), and Revive: Contemporary Caymanian Craft (2017).
