Biennial Synopsis
Building upon the first two editions of the Cayman Islands Biennial — the multi-site, tri-island exhibitions developed by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands — the third instalment of this highly anticipated project will launch in May 2023. For this third iteration, the Biennial will once again present the latest developments within the Caymanian contemporary art scene, assembling an assortment of the strongest works in a variety of media from artists across the Cayman Islands and the Caymanian diaspora.
Organised under the title ‘Conversations with the Past—In the Present Tense’, the theme of this Biennial takes as its starting point the ways in which history continues to reverberate in the present. Reflecting on the role the past plays in shaping and defining both cultural and personal identities, the curatorial team invites artists to consider the multi-faceted nature of Caymanian history and culture by initiating conversations around our collective understanding of its various social, political, and artistic legacies.
The premise for this exhibition draws inspiration from the writings of cultural theorist Stuart Hall, who defined cultural identity as not only a matter of ‘being’ but of ‘becoming’, ‘belonging as much to the future as it does to the past’. Hall’s model of identity provides a reference point that encourages a variety of creative re-interpretations of the subject, including the ways in which our individual and collective sense of self is shaped by the interplay of history, memory, and subjective experience. This thematic approach is intended to prompt artists and audiences to engage with topical subject matter, while encouraging constructive dialogue that is both challenging and thought-provoking.
Submissions should address or engage in some way with the theme and subject matter of this exhibition synopsis, including (but not limited to) one of the following sub-themes:
1). “Cultural Mythologies”: The art of storytelling and the crafting of identity as a kind of fiction that is written, spoken or performed; myths, fables, family stories, oral histories, and ancestral knowledge: the ways in which these are woven together to create an individual’s, a community’s and a nation’s self-image;
2). “Sites of Memory”: Archival, historical and literal examinations of the past; site-specific interventions of historically significant sites; personal and autobiographical interpretations of family history and the wider historical experience in Cayman; the investigation of memory and its imperfect recollection; documentation of the past and the tensions between reality and individuals’ subjective experiences;
3). “Identity and its Multiple Origins”: origin stories, ancestry and cultural roots; the notion of ‘hybridity’ (the combining of, and relationship between, co-existing cultural identities) and the fluidity of identity in relation to Caymanian and Caribbean culture; commonalities and differences in our personal and collective histories, as well as the social and political implications of identity in Cayman, past and present.
Contemporary work in a wide variety of media will be considered, from painting and sculpture to artists working in related fields and practices, such as digital media and video art, sound art, site-specific installation (at the National Gallery or an alternative space), architectural interventions and public art, as well as fine craft, performance, poetry/spoken word, archival-based research and scholarship, contemporary dance, and community programming.
Selected artwork will feature in a four-month long exhibition at the National Gallery, with concurrent projects at select venues in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. In addition, one exhibiting artist will be awarded the Juror’s Selection Award with a significant monetary prize and the opportunity to develop a solo exhibition with the National Gallery. The exhibition will also feature an Emerging Artist award, for artists 30 years of age or younger, with a monetary grant towards a residency programme or training opportunity.
Submission Process
This exhibition is open to residents in the Cayman Islands or creative practitioners of the Caymanian diaspora. Artists are invited to submit proposals* of work or concept drawings/documents, with an accompanying artist’s statement relating the work to the exhibition synopsis. This should be provided in electronic format only and directed to the attention of the curatorial team at curatorialsupport@nationalgallery.org.ky by Friday, 10 March 2023. A maximum of three works per artists will be considered. Submissions must be accompanied by**:
1. Artist biography (200 words max) and headshot
2. High resolution image of the proposed work, whether final or drafted (of a quality that can be reproduced in catalogue format)
3. Artist Statement/Artwork information (title, date, medium, size and a description of 250 words or less)
4. Any special installation instructions
5. Link to your website if applicable
[*Final works are not expected at this stage]
[**NGCI curatorial staff are available to assist you with the development of the above material as required.]
This is a juried exhibition project. All complete submissions received by the above deadline will be reviewed and considered by the National Exhibition Committee comprised of three local and two international guest jurors. Successful applicants will be notified by email no later than Monday, 21 March 2023. Final artwork needs to be delivered to the NGCI site on or before Saturday, 20 May 2023. The exhibition will run from Friday, 26 May until 27 September 2023.
For more information email curatorialsupport@nationalgallery.org.ky