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Bahamian contemporary artist John Cox is redefining art as most know it in the Bahamas. 

John received a BFA in Illustration in 1995 and went on to receive a Masters in Art Education from Rhode Island School of Design. He originally went to school as an architecture student and eventually found his niche in illustration. He began making art and organizing shows of his work at such universities as Cambridge, Brown and Harvard. On his trips home from school, he was involved, with much success, in a two-person show at the former Bahamian Art Gallery. Cox left school fueled with the utmost confidence choosing to return home and develop his career in the Bahamas.

Cox’s mixed media work is unrehearsed, spiritual and eclectic. He fuses elements of historical figures such as Mao, Billy Holiday and Jackie Kennedy with newspaper clippings, torn magazine pages, creating something he calls his own. Similar to the sampling of new age or the always misunderstood urban poetry, hip-hop, Cox’s work samples on elements already existing in mass media. He recycles basic materials overlooked by the average person and creates oversized dramatic pieces which overwhelm you with their multiple levels and complexities of interpretation. 

When asked why he feels that his work is not generally accepted because of its complexity, John stated, "I find my work challenging to create and challenging to the viewer as well. One thing I’ve come to realize is that people don’t like to be challenged. They find it intimidating, a strain to actually have to think about the work and to question something. I don’t think I am a household name here in the Bahamas but I have a good amount of support. The work is different in this context and environment. It’s not what people immediately associate with how they define art or something that they can immediately recognize or mentally conquer. It has elements of many different things, abstract elements, surreal at times. It communicates in many different ways."

He is presently a curator of the Bahamian National Art Gallery and part time lecturer at the College of the Bahamas. He works from his studio, Popop Studios in Nassau, creating mixed media pieces and abstract furniture design. 

View the artwork of John Edward Cox.

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