Can you believe it’s been two years, since the last Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art exhibition? Yes! On the 8th of June, the Morningside Gallery of the Barbados Community College was the place to be, for the highly anticipated “Falling apart” portfolio exhibit. Upon arrival, I was eagerly awaiting to see the final work of Donné Haynes, Destiny Dottin, Jeriah Walcott, and Steffani Jemmott. However, before exploring their masterpieces, I took a moment to read the curatorial statement displayed on the wall, and to my surprise, the contents were a bit concerning. I soon began to realize that this was no usual portfolio. Instead, it was a brilliantly curated act of protest.

“Over the years, the BFA in Studio Art programme has been “Falling apart”. Why? Well, for many reasons. Firstly, the BCC Division of Fine Arts has been grossly underfunded for over a decade now. Major budget cuts have crippled the entire college. As a result, the art students have suffered and toiled with zero resources and broken equipment. Secondly, the facilities are deplorable. In fact, this fitting exhibition title was chosen when the students discovered a crack in one of the gallery walls, and surely, this is unacceptable. Lastly, they had to endure the very agonizing process of online teaching, due to Covid 19. Therefore, with the help and expertise of Studio Art BFA coordinator, Ewan Atkinson, they creatively used this opportunity to raise awareness of compelling societal issues, and to speak out against the many “cracks in the system”.

It was now time to explore the exhibit, and first up was the captivating work of Donné Haynes. Her household setting with vibrant colours was sure to catch my attention. It illustrated how Caribbean people decorate to impress, creating a false lived reality. In another piece, she also shed light on how Afro-Caribbean women are continually stereotyped, with the use of her black and white character prints called, “the smileys”. Regrettably, as our Caribbean women perform, they are often viewed as nothing more than smiling entertainers, who are at the sexual disposal of tourists. This was very thought-provoking indeed.

Up next was Destiny Dottin, with an intriguing approach to sharing her personal experiences. She consciously compared mental illness and anxiety to an internal virus, that takes over the body. Admittedly, her work was my favorite as it resonated with me deeply. I was also amazed at how she used the technique of layering and overlapping to create detailed patterns, which made intense visual representations of the process. I felt like I was experiencing the emotional changes and uneasiness she was trying to portray. In addition, many people were drawn to her head series piece entitled “Brainstorm”. It was as though the “virus” was acidly eating away at the skulls in 8 different stages of anxiety. How engrossing!

I then made my way to the exhibition’s second room to time travel with Jeriah Walcott’s work. He explored and observed the loss of individual creative expression, in automobile customization. He also focused on how Barbadian architectural design has changed over time. Without a doubt, Jeriah is exceptionally skilled and as opposed to his use of dark pen and ink drawings, I’m certain he has a bright future ahead.

Last but not least, a few steps landed me at the “plaster of Paris” portraits by Steffani Jemmott. It took a while to understand her concept of capturing, labeling, and exoticizing “weeds” and plants, but it all made sense if you compare this to the process of colonization. In this case, the weeds represented persons subjected to marginalization and ostracism. This body of work was about human socio-behaviors and it brought into question one’s value, social stratification, and even colonial taxonomy. Her metaphorical comparison was remarkable. Additionally, as this year’s top graduate, she won the Lesley Legacy Foundation Award, which can be attributed to her dedication.

As the event came to a close, I walked away with mixed emotions. Even though I was ecstatic about the riveting display of pieces and the quality of work shown, I couldn’t shake the wave of doubt and worry that followed. Let us remember the overall ambition of the event. Necessary light was shown to expose the concealed cracks in our society, but in the same vein, a momentous effort was made to highlight those prevalent in the Division of Fine Arts. That said, if progress is the desired outcome, immense changes need to be made. Every year, these portfolio exhibitions are viewed as a success in the public’s eye, however, the untold stories are horrific. These four artists have stood the test of time but what about the others to follow, the up-and-coming creators of Barbados? Will they make it? We don’t know what the future holds but one thing’s for sure…

The mere love of art cannot save the BFA programme from “Falling apart”.

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What do you think about the exhibit? Comment and tell us below.

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Can you believe it’s been two years, since the last Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art exhibition? Yes! On the 8th of June, the Morningside Gallery of the Barbados Community College was the place to be, for the highly anticipated “Falling apart” portfolio exhibit. Upon arrival, I was eagerly awaiting to see the final work of Donné Haynes, Destiny Dottin, Jeriah Walcott, and Steffani Jemmott. However, before exploring their masterpieces, I took a moment to read the curatorial statement displayed on the wall, and to my surprise, the contents were a bit concerning. I soon began to realize that this was no usual portfolio. Instead, it was a brilliantly curated act of protest.

“Over the years, the BFA in Studio Art programme has been “Falling apart”. Why? Well, for many reasons. Firstly, the BCC Division of Fine Arts has been grossly underfunded for over a decade now. Major budget cuts have crippled the entire college. As a result, the art students have suffered and toiled with zero resources and broken equipment. Secondly, the facilities are deplorable. In fact, this fitting exhibition title was chosen when the students discovered a crack in one of the gallery walls, and surely, this is unacceptable. Lastly, they had to endure the very agonizing process of online teaching, due to Covid 19. Therefore, with the help and expertise of Studio Art BFA coordinator, Ewan Atkinson, they creatively used this opportunity to raise awareness of compelling societal issues, and to speak out against the many “cracks in the system”.

It was now time to explore the exhibit, and first up was the captivating work of Donné Haynes. Her household setting with vibrant colours was sure to catch my attention. It illustrated how Caribbean people decorate to impress, creating a false lived reality. In another piece, she also shed light on how Afro-Caribbean women are continually stereotyped, with the use of her black and white character prints called, “the smileys”. Regrettably, as our Caribbean women perform, they are often viewed as nothing more than smiling entertainers, who are at the sexual disposal of tourists. This was very thought-provoking indeed.

Up next was Destiny Dottin, with an intriguing approach to sharing her personal experiences. She consciously compared mental illness and anxiety to an internal virus, that takes over the body. Admittedly, her work was my favorite as it resonated with me deeply. I was also amazed at how she used the technique of layering and overlapping to create detailed patterns, which made intense visual representations of the process. I felt like I was experiencing the emotional changes and uneasiness she was trying to portray. In addition, many people were drawn to her head series piece entitled “Brainstorm”. It was as though the “virus” was acidly eating away at the skulls in 8 different stages of anxiety. How engrossing!

I then made my way to the exhibition’s second room to time travel with Jeriah Walcott’s work. He explored and observed the loss of individual creative expression, in automobile customization. He also focused on how Barbadian architectural design has changed over time. Without a doubt, Jeriah is exceptionally skilled and as opposed to his use of dark pen and ink drawings, I’m certain he has a bright future ahead.

Last but not least, a few steps landed me at the “plaster of Paris” portraits by Steffani Jemmott. It took a while to understand her concept of capturing, labeling, and exoticizing “weeds” and plants, but it all made sense if you compared this to the process of colonization. In this case, the weeds represented persons subjected to marginalization and ostracism. This body of work was about human socio-behaviors and it brought into question one’s value, social stratification, and even colonial taxonomy. Her metaphorical comparison was remarkable. Additionally, as this year’s top graduate, she won the Lesley Legacy Foundation Award, which can be attributed to her dedication.

As the event came to a close, I walked away with mixed emotions. Even though I was ecstatic about the riveting display of pieces and the quality of work shown, I couldn’t shake the wave of doubt and worry that followed. Let us remember the overall ambition of the event. Necessary light was shown to expose the concealed cracks in our society, but in the same vein, a momentous effort was made to highlight those prevalent in the Division of Fine Arts. That said, if progress is the desired outcome, immense changes need to be made. Every year, these portfolio exhibitions are viewed as a success in the public’s eye, however, the untold stories are horrific. These four artists have stood the test of time but what about the others to follow, the up-and-coming creators of Barbados? Will they make it? We don’t know what the future holds but one thing’s for sure…

What do you think about the exhibit? Comment and tell us below.