An exhibition of past and present works from the National Collection
Press Release
Synopsis: Picking up the theme of cultural identity posed by the National Gallery’s Arreckly exhibition, Cayman: An Ever-changing Landscape will explore the changing artistic representations of Cayman over the decades. Through key works from the National Collections of the National Gallery, National Museum and the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, this exhibition looks at such key issues as the rapid cultural and physical development of the Islands and the survival of heritage in an increasingly globalised society.
Curator’s Overview:
The beauty of the Caymanian environment has provided an endless source of inspiration for artists over the decades whether seeking to capture the idyllic aspects of our islands or using nature as a point of departure through which to address a variety of ideological issues.
Drawing on works from the collections of the National Gallery, National Museum and the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, never before displayed collectively, this exhibition explores the ‘ever- changing’ representations of our islands as depicted through a wide variety of styles and mediums.
Early works range from the softer palettes of the realists through to the vivid hues of lush tropical foliage favoured by those working in expressionism. Many of these works are born out of the artist’s deep personal affiliation with nature and the desire to capture the true character of “the islands time forgot”.
Challenging these traditional notions of landscape other of the featured artists have ventured beyond idealised representations, using nature as a vehicle for wider social commentary. Explorations of the islands’ rapid urban development and increasingly frail ecology become central to these works, as do themes of transformation and cultural assimilation in an increasingly globalised arena.
Through this series of stylistic and ideological dichotomies we are left contemplating a landscape, and a culture, that is in a state of flux and ultimately are reminded of the fragile balance that must be maintained.