Carnival Dancer
Carnival Dancer conveys the exuberance of its subject through swirling patterns of daubed paint that are suggestive of the rhythmic movement of its dancing protagonists. The two stylised figures are portrayed in swaying motion, with the yellow form of a blazing sun pictured overhead. Mann’s abstract style combines the influence of European Modernism, and particularly Fauvism and Post-Impressionism, with colours and thematic motifs synonymous with the Caribbean.
About the Artist
Chris Mann
b. 1955
Chris Mann was born in England and studied Fine Art and Ceramics at Goldsmiths College, London, before moving to the Cayman Islands in 1987 to teach art. He practices in a variety of mediums and his work is characterised by a bold, expressionist style and rich colours. Key exhibitions include the second Biennial of Painting in the Caribbean & Central America at the Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1994), Carifesta X in Guyana (2008), and the Commonwealth Games Art Exhibition in New Zealand (2002). Mann was the 2017 recipient of The National Arts and Culture Gold Award for Creativity in the Arts from CNCF. Exhibitions at NGCI include: Anchored in Landscapes (2005), Watermarks (2005), Emergence (2005), Arreckly: Towards a Cultural Identity (2007), Art of Assemblage (2013), Metamorphoses (2014), All Access (2015), Upon The Seas (2017), Mediating Self (2017), Cross Currents – 1st Cayman Islands Biennial (2019), and Tropical Visions (2019).
