The First Adam
Chollette is perhaps best known for his signature mosaic configuration, which recalls stained glass windows, as well as the interlocking planes and multiple viewpoints of Cubism. His Rastafarian faith inspires much of his subject matter — as in this instance, where the painting’s protagonist is the Old Testament figure of Adam, emerging out of an oasis-like Eden of cool blues and greens.
About the Artist
Randy Chollette
b. 1975
George Town–born Randy Chollette is an intuitive, self-taught artist who earned recognition early in his career by winning ‘Best in Show’ at Blue, an exhibition at Kensington-Lott Fine Art Gallery in 2002, and The McCoy Prize People’s Choice Award in 2003. His work is often distinguishable by its signature black outlined mosaic configuration. A member of the Native Sons collective, he moves confidently between Realism and abstraction, and his Rastafarian beliefs are woven into the style and subject of his paintings. His work forms part of many private collections and the public collections of NGCI, the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, and the Cayman Islands National Museum. NGCI exhibitions include: Arreckly: Towards a Cultural Identity (2007), The Persistence of Memory (2011), Founded Upon the Seas (2012), tIDal Shift: Explorations of Identity in Contemporary Caymanian Art (2015), Native Sons – Twenty Years On (2016), Speak to Me (2016), Saltwater in their Veins (2017), Cross Currents – 1st Cayman Islands Biennial (2019), and Island of Women: Life at Home During our Maritime Years (2020).
