Kavin Morris, although aware of and to someextent impacted by such artists as KeithHaring or Jackson Pollock, has still been ableto maintain his particular identity.

Photo by Glenn Tucker

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Published: July 1. 2010 08:22AM

Controversial? Yes – but a trulygroundbreaking show

A review by Charles Zuill

The Bermuda National GalleryBiennials have always beencontentious and this year's Biennialis no exception. If anything it iseven more controversial. Of the 71artists who submitted work forconsideration, only 20 made thecut. Some very well known andskillful artists were eliminated.

The jurors, Veerle Poupeye andTumelo Mosaka, in describing howthey made their selections, said thatalthough they recognised that manylocal artists are highlyaccomplished, much of what isproduced is all-too-comfortable.They felt compelled to move beyondthe typical "Island aesthetic" andfocused on work that departs fromthe safe position they detected inmuch that was submitted. They saidthat not to have done so, wouldhave encouraged stagnation.

From reading the Jurors Forward, I understand that they are not denyingthe place of skill and craftsmanship in art, but that true creativitydemands much more. Many in the local art community have allowedthemselves to get stuck in the rut of conformity and commercialism.There is a sameness to what they do and as Gareth Finighan said in arecent article: "going to exhibitions can end up being tiresome". Indeed,some very accomplished artists have resorted to painting by a formula,that they think will stand a good chance of selling. As a result, their workhas not changed appreciatively in many years, except in some cases, ithas actually gone backward.

The jurors, in making their choices, centred their attention, instead, onthe exploratory and creative. They said that this was the main criterion oftheir selection process, the creative being defined as the ability togenerate original ideas and take them from thought to reality.

At this junction, you should know that I am in the Biennial. Beyond sayingthat, any further comment about my own work would be inappropriate, Iwill point out however, that after the jurying, it took a week or morebefore I found out about the results. I think it was much the same with allthe other applicants. For varying reasons, I was convinced that I hadbeen unsuccessful and so was surprised when my work was selected. Isay this to tell you that I had already begun processing the possibility ofbeing eliminated. In trying to be honest with myself, I had to admit thatno matter what, I had the utmost respect for the jury, as well as theBNG. I also understood that, no matter my previous involvement in theBNG, the administration was duty bound to honour the decisions of thejury and to do otherwise would completely discredit the institution. I wasdetermined therefore to learn as much as I could from their decisions, sothat, if possible, I could become a better, more creative artist.

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In the business of art you have to develop toughness. To have one's workrejected is hard to take, but if we artists are ever to make it in the artworld, we will have get used to the possibility of rejection and no matterwhat, persist in our artistic goals. In the words of Churchill, "never giveup".

Regarding the jurying of art: I know that some are opposed to theprocess, but if we are serious about improving the quality of art inBermuda, I know of no other way, that is as effective in setting achallenge, that some, at least, will strive to reach or surpass. It is notunlike the process of selection for the Olympic Games, and what about allthe examinations we have to take in school? Based upon these, someearn scholarships and get admitted to university, while others areeliminated.

In the last 20 years or so, the scope and quality of art in Bermuda hasimproved enormously and I am certain that the Biennials have played animportant role in this development. It should be underscored, however,that jurying has been an integral part of that process. There are alsoneeds for unjuried shows, especially for those just starting out in art, butthe various associations such as the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard orBSoA, provide for that necessity.

This year's Biennial is, by far and away, the best yet. In the past, therewere always a few works in the show that did not meet what I thoughtshould be the the exhibition's high bar. That is not the case with thisexhibition. There is an overall cohesiveness to the show, not so much instyle, as in inventiveness and originality, as well as skill. Part of thepicture, also, is the thoughtful and imaginative way the exhibition hasbeen arranged by curator, Sophie Cressell and her assistant, WillCollieson.

As for this Biennial, now that the art is up on the walls and open to thepublic, I can say that in no previous Biennial, were there such out-sizedworks of art, as are being currently shown in the Main Gallery, indeed,John Gardner's 'After the Party' is so large, it takes up almost the entireeast wall of the Main Gallery and Graham Foster's 'Seas of Europa' is ofcomparable size. Other large pieces are N. Christina Hutchings' 'Map ofBermuda' or Will Collieson's 'From the Outside Looking In'.

When developing an art concept, size is always a consideration. Someconcepts demand the monumental, others are better small. One is notnecessarily better than the other, however, the dictates of the conceptwill impose themselves on the work, including the appropriate size and ifthe artist is sensitive to these demands, so much the better. It is as if weartists are mere conduits, through which art is manifested. We learn bylistening to the muse.

Traditionally, monumental art was reserved for religious episodes, greathistorical events or important people. Only in the the 19th century withthe likes of Courbet and his brand of realism, did ordinary happenings getdepicted large.

This trend to bigness continued throughout the 12th century, notablyPicasso's 'Guernica' or the paintings of Jackson Pollock and othermembers of the New York school of Abstract Expressionism. Monumentalart is, however, new to the BNG Biennial. It will be interesting to see howthis plays out in future exhibitions.

The impressive John Gardner piece is a pop-art like construction thatconsists of a hundred birthday cakes, all made of Bermuda stone and icedwith plaster. These sit on circular shelves that are attached to a numberof plywood panels. Since the cakes sit out from the panels, the variouslights that illuminate the work, cast fascinating shadows on thebackground, creating a rhythmic interplay between cakes and shadows.From talking with John Gardner, I understand that the shadows were notan intentional part of the original concept, but one that he now accepts asimportant to the work. This work recalls the pop-art sculptures of ClaesOldenburg, who typically, created soft sculptures of things that are hard,

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for example, a toilet, whereas, if initially soft, as is a cake, hisinterpretation utilised something hard.

By contrast, around the corner on the south wall, hangs N. ChristinaHutchings' 'Map of Bermuda'. Although large, it is certainly more modest,than its neighbours, being only 60 x 100 inches. Despite the title, there isnothing in the painting resembling a typical map of the Island.

[JUMP]The dark blue ground and criss-cross white lines, brings to mind,antique nautical maps, however. Its pink border provides a bufferbetween the central image and the wall, while its presentation is notablycontemporary, in that it is exhibited without a frame or stretcher. It issimply fastened to the wall with tacks. I am intrigued by the unusualmaterials used in making a work of such a large size. It is painted withgouache on paper, along with other materials, such as string, ruler andpencil. Navigators utilise measurements, thus the ruler, which symbolisesall the necessary computations used in determining the location of a shipor for that matter, an aeroplane. As for the use of pencil; all the manylines are drawn in white pencil on the blue gouache ground.

Graham Foster's large, colourful, swirling, mobile-like composition, bringstogether 38 cutout fish, boats and people, all hung on wires, in varyinglayers and differing heights, from floor to ceiling. In one instance, a largefish has swallowed a person, the likes of which, can be seen, x-ray like, inthe fish's belly. This momentous work takes Bermudian art in a newdirection, not only because of its size and complexity of cutouts, but alsobecause of its kinetic aspects.

Still along the south wall, Scott Hill's untitled photograph of severalroundish objects is also on the large side, its dimensions being 66 x 44inches. This apparently abstract composition is actually the combinationof two separate picture that divides across the middle with a strong blackline. Although on first viewing, the composition seems simple enough, itis actually complex, in that the artist is playing with visual perception.The middle dividing line not only separates the upper compartment fromthe lower, it also appears to bend each compartment inward, so that theblack line is perceived as nearest the viewer. The dark, soft focused massprotruding above this black line, is an important device in perceiving itsdimensionality. In this case, the photographer effectively utilised depth offield, to create the illusion. Some may be puzzled by this picture'spossible meaning, but perhaps we need to let that go and just accept andenjoy its being. Often when out in nature, we come across formationsthat seem inexplicable, yet we have no difficulty appreciating them, evenwithout knowing how they came into being. Other then what I havesuggested regarding visual perception, no other message is, it seems,intended.

Will Collieson's assemblage of found materials, is a continuation of a workhe began last year. It seems that it began with the discovery of an oldwall within a building that was being demolished and by last summer, theartist was ready enough to exhibit it. Since then, however, he hascontinued to work on it, resulting in the current version. Already,however, he is planning additional extensions. Unless someone buys it,thus stopping the process, who know where it will end up. Since theoriginal wall was found with a window, that was too good a discovery, notto retain, hence the title, 'From the Outside Looking In'.

While still in the Main Gallery, there are two other notable works, aninstallation by Katherine Harriott and a performance piece by MichaelWalsh.

Regarding the Harriott piece: I have referred to it as an installation,others consider it a sculpture, but to Ms Harriott, that is relativelyunimportant. She is more concerned about the message the workconveys, which is her view of marriage. The Biennial piece is called 'TheTies That Bind'.

The Michael Walsh performance piece recalls the recent performanceretrospective at the Museum of Modern Art of the work of MarinaAbramovic. In one performance, a visiter sits across from the Ms

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Abramovic, a table between them, each staring at one another. In theWalsh performance, the visiter also sits across from the artist, however itdoes involve a conversation. His is called 'Love, 1 Cent'.

There is one other big, very big work in the Biennial. It is so big, theentire Watlington Room is devoted to exhibiting it. I refer again to MichaelWalsh, but in this instance, his impressive corrugated cardboardsculptural group that resembles five giant Russian matryoshka or nestingdolls. The title of the group is 'Evoking Nothing'. This sculpture is a goodexample of the creative recycling of discarded stuff, that otherwise, wouldend up in the incinerator.

In contrast to bigness, much of the Biennial is on the more modest sideand in the case of Louisa Bermingham Flannery's 'Hairy Bear' series; theyare tiny. In these she explores the ramifications of hair, including taboosand prejudices.

Until recent years, photography was regarded as something other thanart. It is therefore significant that nearly half the current Biennial consistsof photography in some form or another. In addition to those of Scott Hill,I note the Helmut Sculpture of James Cooper or the three photographs byMeredith Andrews, especially her gridded Guards or Walls, but also thewonderfully textured back view of Johnny Barnes.

Charlie Godet Thomas's black and white photos invoke aspects of timeand transition. He states that his is an exploration of the dichotomybetween personal experience and its presentation to the public. Mostlythey have a snapshot quality, that conjures vague, dream-like memoriesthat are reinforced by means of an accompanying, monotone, femalevoice.

Antoine Hunt continues his investigation of the cyanotype with his seriesof bottle pictures, within which are found various objects, including, inone instance, a nude figure. For the Biennial, he is showing three fromthe series and each is numbered and entitled 'Pickled'. Also, all three arethe same size and apparently depict the same bottle. They are exhibitedas a triptych.

Ian Macdonald-Smith is exhibiting two reflection photographs, that wereshown last month at the BSoA. I wrote a review about them at that time,but furthermore, since his catalogue statement says that any commentwould dilute the imagery. I will refrain from further pronouncements.

Alan C. Smith utilises digital photographic imagery, but with a difference.By means of the computer, he creates collage-like images that combinevarying elements that are, as he claims, autobiographical metaphoricaland inspired by poetry. Given the poetic nature of these creations, itshould not be surprising that all three contributions have been givenintriguing titles. They are: 'Lucifer: The Burning Key', 'Survivor of theFlood' and 'Angel G: Manifestation'.

At last A Bill Ming in the Biennial. His 'Hands Across Da Table (Pass it On)'is placed in a position of honour, right across from the entrance, withinthe gallery's "arch of triumph". This particular work is a combination ofpainting and relief sculpture and depicts a group of three people, sittingaround a table, partaking of food. Each face is surrounded by a pictureframe, which brings to mind the saintly halos found in medieval icons. Inkeeping with the title, hands are extended across the table in bothdirections. The symbolic meaning of that gesture is notable forinclusiveness.

Sunell Lombard's caricatures of human foibles are reminiscent ofDaumier, the French, 19th century artist and in her depictions,Bermudians are not spared. In her 'Bus Slaves', she has observed theway we locals go about our business in public, including cellphone use, asif we were in the inner sanctum of privacy. Hers is a refreshing,humourous, outside view of Bermudian everyday culture.

With all the means of communication and transportation at our disposal,Bermudian artists have the technological ability to keep current on much

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of the latest trends and developments in the overseas art world. That canbe an advantage, as well as a danger. I recall a guest speaker at an artconference who noted how some artists change with every new issue ofArt News. No matter what, influences are inevitable, but, at the sametime, we need to recognise our need of maintaining our own authenticindividuality. This brings me to the art of Kavin Morris, who, althoughaware of and to some extent impacted by such artists as Keith Haring orJackson Pollock, has still been able to maintain his particular identity.Typically, his compositions are of the "over-all" type, characteristic ofPollock, but there is also an element of graffiti which comes from Haring.Still, no one would mistake a Morris for a Pollock or a Haring.

Bryan Ritchie, although Bermudian, resides in Wisconsin, where he is anassociate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie,Wisconsin. His speciality is printmaking. His contribution to the Biennialconsists of a lithograph and two monotypes, that seem surreal, more thananything. In his artist's statement, he wrote that his work is a collectionof opinions born out of social interactions, media influences, dailyroutines, feelings and memories. In particular, he says that he enjoysexploring social and political paradigms through implied narratives thatfluctuate between abstraction and representation.

John Battersbee's two coloured pencil drawings are highly obsessive anddetailed. Although abstract, they have implied realities that demand ourattention. Indeed, they are like abstract flower gardens. One is entitled'Life's Pulse', the other, 'Guardians'.

The 2010 Bermuda National Gallery's Biennial is a groundbreaking show,that I encourage all to see.

It continues through November 26. There is also a Biennial catalogue thatis worth collecting,

The Bermuda National Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday toFriday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.

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