Oh Ma Toe #4- Tersty Fa Limeonade
This work forms part of the artist’s Oh Ma Toe series, an iconic early body of works from the 1990s and one of the first series created by Banker as a member of the Native Sons artist collective. With his characteristic use colour he creates a cartoon-like image of a figure in motion, and uses language – in most cases, Caymanian vernacular – to provide ironic commentary on the erosion of Caymanian culture. Typical of Banker’s oeuvre, his titles and at times the works themselves express an interest in signification, revealing the ways in which an artwork’s meaning is conveyed both visually and linguistically, drawing upon his education and background as a graphic illustrator and designer.
About the Artist
Wray Banker
b. 1968
Born in West Bay, Grand Cayman, Wray Banker studied graphic design in Houston and is a founding member of the Native Sons artist collective. Career highlights include Serious bout Makin’ Fun (NGCI, 2001); designing pins for the Cayman Islands 1996 Olympic Committee, and the 2003 Pan Am Games (both voted Best of Countries). Notable exhibitions include Art Basel Miami (2003); the Santo Domingo Biennale (2003); the Griffin Gallery, Chicago (2006); and Carifesta X, Guyana (2008). Banker has received numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement in Arts award from the Cayman Islands Government (2003), The McCoy Prize’s Second Commendation in Photography (2005), People’s Choice for Fine Art (2006), CNCF’s Artistic Achievement Award (2007), and an Emerging Pioneer recognition at Cayman Islands’ National Heroes Day (2014). Banker was one of four Caymanian artists to be included in the recently released A-Z of Caribbean Art (Robert & Christopher Publishers: 2019), a landmark survey of contemporary art from the Caribbean region and its diaspora. His work has featured in numerous exhibitions at NGCI, including the solo show Serious ‘Bout Makin’ Fun (2001), Art of Assemblage (2013), Metamorphoses (2014), tIDal Shift: Explorations of Identity in Contemporary Caymanian Art (2015), Speak to Me (2016), Mediating Self (2017), and Revive: Contemporary Caymanian Craft (2017).
