Moko Jumbies
The kernel of this artwork started with a quote from Trinidadian designer Peter Minshall about his costume, The Dying Swan, which he created for carnival 2016. He wrote, “I had seen ‘Moko Jumbies’ all my life, but one day, suddenly, I thought ‘my god he’s a ballerina on toes’ … This is not a costume, this is Mas.” The work seeks to illustrate that while there is variety in carnival practices — and wider cultural norms — there are also connecting threads and histories which remain consistent. The recurring symbolism of these figures is indicative of a wide shared history and the blending of European and African cultures across the region. This work represented the Cayman Islands at Carifesta XIII in Barbados, 2018 and was shown in the exhibition Cross Currents – 1st Cayman Islands Biennial at NGCI in 2019.
