Soul Cage (While pursuing an uncertain dream)
Mann has frequently produced works that address the fragility and importance of traditional Caymanian crafts. In the case of Soul Cage, Mann’s sculpture references local maritime heritage as well as the many dangerous passages that migrants and enslaved people have historically endured. Closer to home, Mann’s installation recalls the Cuban migrants that came to Cayman in the 1990s, arriving in the most unseaworthy of vessels, seeking a better life. The work “is not just about ‘others’”, says the artist, “but rather the universality of the experience.”
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).
