Exhibition
The Body paired the work of Caymanian artist, Al Ebanks, with works by the renowned British artist and modernist sculptor, Henry Spencer Moore. Comprised of 24 multimedia sculptures by Ebanks along with 17 original lithographs and etchings by Moore – mostly dating from his later career – the works on display explored the expressive capacity of the human figure and its historic representation within the realm of fine art.
Notably, the exhibition provided an exciting opportunity for the local community to view works by an artist considered to be one of the twentieth century’s greatest sculptors, alongside the complimentary practice of one of the country’s own leading artists and a co-founding member of the Native Sons artists collective. Through their shared preoccupation with the aesthetic potential of the human form, the pairing of these two contrasting artistic voices challenged traditional and idealised representations of the body to address a variety of themes, ranging from the relationship between the natural and the man-made to gender and motherhood.
The Body was the final exhibition presented at Alexander Place, the original location of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, and was on view from 25 April – 26 June 2002.