A Day in the Life I

A Day in the Life I was the first of a series of exhibitions and artist residencies held every year from 2008–2011. For each iteration of this recurring project, three artists were chosen to transform the interior spaces of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands into functioning studios— shifting their creative practice from the confines of their regular working environments into the public space of a busy gallery setting. For the exhibition series’ first instalment, the featured artists were Randy Chollette, Aston Ebanks, and Cecilia Urdaneta.

A Day in the Life extended the model of the traditional artist-in-residency programme by allowing the participating artists the freedom to experiment without the pressures or expectations to produce a ‘finished’ body of work. Over the course of a two-week span, participants were afforded the opportunity to explore their own creative projects, while also engaging with members of the public through spontaneous interactions and conversations. This dialogue between artist and audience offered the public an illuminating glimpse into the inner workings of an artist’s studio, challenging both parties to reconsider their respective roles in the process of artistic creation. Each artist-in-residence participated in complimentary critiques, workshops, seminars and lectures, while also serving as instructors for NGCI’s hands-on art workshops throughout the duration of the exhibition. A Day in the Life culminated in three solo presentations of work curated by, and featuring the work of, the participating artists—a tradition continued for each iteration of the programme.