TRANSFORMING SPACES

March 15th and 16th 2008

National Art Gallery of the Bahamas

National Art Gallery of the Bahamas

West & Hill Sts.
P.O. Box SS-6341
Nassau, Bahamas

www.nagb.org.bs

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) opened to the public in July 2003. It is the first institution of its kind in the history of The Bahamas, and is intended to serve as a first step in the government’s commitment to develop an expanded system of museums throughout the country.

The gallery was established with an understanding of how such institutions assist in nation building. Since opening its doors it has become a place for Bahamians to view an important aspect of their culture; discuss issues relating to artistic development; network and engage with regional and international artists, curators and gallery owners; and learn how the histories of Bahamian visual culture is connected with the histories of the land and the nation.

Positioned on the rise overlooking the heart of historic “Old Nassau” the gallery occupies Villa Doyle, a period building made out of quarried limestone dating back to the 1860s. Villa Doyle is typical of great houses of earlier centuries with balconies that offer a commanding view of the city and the sea. The gallery sits at the intersection of historic West and West Hill Streets and is within easy walking distance of Nassau’s main commercial district.

Current Exhibitions

Dave Smith Twist of Fate, 1975-1989

This exhibition features fifteen of Dave Smith’s signature paintings from the 70s and 80s. This was a time of great change in The Bahamas and the works question whether the choices made during these crucial years of mass tourism were best for the nation. By referencing collage techniques and using icons from Bahamian popular culture, Smith manages to create a narrative in the works, that encourages the viewer to consider his or her own relationship to, or participation in these changes. What has the Bahamas come to mean internally or externally? Are we more than a beach?

Developing Blackness

Over the Hill Studio Photography in the Independence Era

This exhibition features the work of Maxwell Stubbs, Cleveland Eneas, Antoine Ferrier and Sanford Sawyer. The startling number of images encourages the audience to reenter a period of our nation’s history when Black Bahamians in particular began to employ photography in a way that emphasized a strong sense of self and the range of expressions available to Bahamians. Drawing on internal and external imagery, Developing Blackness touches on the interwoven nature of identity and the need for a post Independence Bahamas to author visual narrative of itself.