Jasmine Thomas-Girvan
Andrea Chung
Oneika Russell
I can easily think of many excellent reasons to visit Jamaica, but here's another one to add to the list: the National Gallery of Jamaica's Biennial. The 2012 iteration featured work by 86 artists (including those pictured above) who were both invited and chosen by jury. From the Gallery website:
To qualify for inclusion in the Biennial – and for this exhibition to be representative of recent developments in Jamaican art – works of art must have been created in the last two years. At present, the Biennial format is being reviewed, in preparation for its conversion in what we hope will be a multi-site, international Kingston Biennial by 2016, and some modifications have already been made: the definition of “Jamaican artist” was expanded to include artists of Jamaican parentage – previously artists had to be resident in Jamaica or Jamaican born. This was done in recognition of the significant role played by the Jamaican Diaspora in the development of what can be considered Jamaican culture, which is itself an increasingly diverse and transnational field.
See also: