An old woman’s face weathered by time gazes into the distance; a pregnant woman’s glowing moment is captured in equally vivid colors; ceramics evoking our very bone and blood touches upon the dual forces of beauty and grotesque; language is generated into instant poetry or delivered as fast as bullets, as intently as a sermon, as sweetly as music.
All are funnelled into one gallery, and all have something to say about the complex theme of “Bahama Mama”, chosen by the Public Treasury Art Program for their inaugural exhibition shortly after moving into their new building on East Street at the beginning of this year.
“Instead of investing in artwork they decided to establish a program which would allow for rotating exhibitions in the space,” explains Keisha Oliver, the exhibition coordinator and also a participating artist.
They could not have chosen a better theme—or a better way to address it. That’s because the participating artists—17 visual artists and 5 writers—are all female Bahamian artists.
“We wanted to start off with a celebratory theme that focused on a specific aspect of Bahamian culture,” says Oliver. “We thought looking at female artists would be something very unique and timely.”
If that sounds like we’ve been here before, it’s because earlier this year, The D’Aguilar Art Foundation launched the exhibition “The F-Factor: Female Artists of The Bahamas”, curated by Holly Parotti, which is still ongoing.
While “The F-Factor” more examines the historical contribution female artists have made to the Bahamian art scene, “Bahama Mama” shifts the focus to the present and provides a space for female artists—especially contemporary ones—to examine complex notions of feminity.
Nevertheless, the fact that The Bahamas has been the site of two major and equally excellent and thought-provoking exhibitions celebrating the female presence, perspective and history in its art world is both encouraging and exciting. It acknowledges the contribution female artists have made to the cultural consciousness and holds the promise of more to come.
