Contemporary Art Trends in Jamaica

(An excerpt from an article written for Widewalls by Angie Kordic and Elena Martinique entitled – The Colors of Jamaican Art and Spirit of its Artists)

The development of the visual arts in Jamaica throughout the last century has brought a plethora of trends and styles and has been made into a mass of creativity and concepts of boundless potential.

In the book Jamaican Art: Then and Now, Petrine Archer and Kim Robinson wrote: “To study the past century of our art is to study far beyond that point in reality...the effects of colonization on a non-indigenous population which was a conglomeration of different races and cultures with their own artistic grounding.”

The pioneers of Jamaica’s visual arts such as Edna Manley, Cecil Baugh, Alvin Marriot or Albert Huie have made possible the revolution of today’s visual arts movement in Jamaica.

In the last 20 years, there has been a greater awareness of post-modern trends and Jamaican creatives are revisiting and reinterpreting their cultural heritage and Jamaican experience, but also introducing new contemporary ideas.

The younger generation of art that includes those such as Ebony G. Patterson, Michael Elliot, Phillip Thomas, Christopher Irons and Peter Rickards are tackling a diverse range of issues such as violence, homophobia and social dislocation that have been a part of the recent Jamaican past.

Through group exhibitions such as the Caribbean biennials and other regional shows, they are connecting with creatives from other islands and establishing their commonality and unique identity.
 
For the full article go to: http://www.widewalls.ch/jamaican-art-history-artists/

Also visit our art gallery:  https://www.experiencejamaique.com/product_gallery

September 2017