Blue Meridian: an artist’s view of the waters that surrounds us
Press Release
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and RBS Coutts, are excited to announce their upcoming exhibition entitled Blue Meridian; an unparalleled spectacle of contemporary glass sculptures shaped at the hands of Davin K. Ebanks.
As a long time sponsor of the National Gallery, RBS Coutts Managing Director, David I. Foster commented, “We are extremely proud to sponsor ‘Blue Meridian’. We welcomed the opportunity of being involved when we learned of Davin’s unique artistic talents. Our sponsorship is a way for RBS Coutts to give something back to the local arts scene and at the same time, to treat our clients and friends to an experience that is invitingly different. That Davin is bringing his glass pieces home, following a long academic stint in the States, will be a ` treat for the Cayman community”.
Davin’s ocean studies are a series of rectangular castings with beautifully polished sides, glassy wind-blown surfaces and sandy bottoms that reflect the granulated wrinkles of the sea floor. An achievement two years in the works, he has attempted to translate the history and environment of his home into glass and porcelain. From life-sized glass models of the tropical water to carefully cast turtle skulls and catboat blueprints, the works in this exhibition capture Cayman’s heritage in an entirely unique way. The sculptures, in essence, are a discussion on what it means for Davin to be Caymanian – from his maritime heritage, to his obsession with the water that surrounds his home and, in the end, how he fits into it all.
As a complement to the clean, almost minimalist nature of the solid glass castings, visitors will see installations like Death of the Ajax, a work that deals with the duality of a particular point in Caymanian history. Here, twin wooden panels frame two halves of a blueprint for the Ajax, a traditional Cayman Brac catboat used to hunt turtles. Below each half are five cast glass turtle skulls. Given the proximity of both skeletons – the framework of the boat and the skull of the sea turtle – we are left to question the implications behind “death” in the title. It seems the artist is both lamenting the passing of this vessel as a particularly Caymanian piece of heritage and the passing of the marine resource which it was invented to capture. The lack of any satisfying narrative in this work only underscores the sense of loss when a culture (or environment) dwindles into the past.
Davin first discovered the malleability of glass while pursuing his Bachelor of Arts at Jacksonville University. It can be said, however, that his now-91-year-old grandfather – a veteran turtler, shark fisherman, merchant marine and decorated WWII veteran was a major influence throughout Davin’s formative years and unquestionably a source of his artistic expression today. An avid fisherman himself, Davin’s sculptures, in his words, are infused with“…much of the surrounding political, geographic, and general cultural climate that I was a part of when I made the artwork. Moreover, who I am and where I’m from as a person – is as much a part of my studio practise as making the work in the first place.”
Davin currently works as a temporary Assistant Professor in the Glass Department at Kent State University School of Art in Ohio, where he recently received a Masters of Fine Art. His work has been displayed at various venues most notably at Urban Glass, New York; at the United States’ Glass Art Society’s Annual Conference 2150° Fahrenheit; as a Visiting Artist and an Artist in Residence at his alma mater Anderson University; and as part of the Cayman Islands National Museum’s McCoy Prize 2003, for which he won the Fine Craft category for his submission, Sleeping Sisters.
Mrs. Natalie Urquhart, Director, along with the National Gallery Board, extend their warmest congratulations to Davin, as well as to his supportive parents Norma and Alson Ebanks, for Davin’s first Exhibition here at home in the Cayman Islands. “Ever since we were introduced to Davin’s exquisite work through the McCoy Prize, we’ve watched his career develop with great interest. We’re delighted to have helped facilitate his first solo exhibition here at home,” asserts Director Natalie Urquhart, “We invite families and the community in general to visit the Gallery between November 27th and March 2011, to see for themselves how one man has successfully combined heritage, extraordinary talent and a contemporary vision, into an exquisite form of art.