Antilles: the weblog of the CRB

At the Brooklyn Museum: Infinite Island



Hew Locke (British, b. 1959). El Dorado, 2005. Mixed media. West Collection, Oaks, Pennsylvania (Photo: FXP Photography)

Infinite Island, a major show of contemporary Caribbean art, opens tomorrow at the Brooklyn Museum. It presents eighty works by forty-five artists, who "represent multiple perspectives as they explore the complexities of Caribbean history and identity". The exhibition website offers examples of the work of twenty of the participating artists, such as Tirzo Martha of Curaçao, Storm Saulter of Jamaica, Ewan Atkinson of Barbados, Trinidadian Nicole Awai, and CRB contributor Christopher Cozier. The show also includes Hew Locke, Steve Ouditt, Joscelyn Gardner, Annalee Davis, Charles Campbell, Maxence Denis, Deborah Jack, Marcel Pinas.... A stellar line-up. And in the hefty catalogue you'll find an essay by another CRB contributor, Annie Paul.



Ewan Atkinson (b. Barbados 1975). You Will Have to Use Soap, 2005. Digital print and mixed media, 24 1/2 x 16 in. (62.2 x 40.6 cm). Collection of Judilee Reed, Brooklyn, New York (Photo: Courtesy of the artist)

The museum staff even offer a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the show via their blog--there you can read about the intricacies of installing Cozier's Tropical Night, or buying materials for Denis's Kawtchou and Martha's Spirit of the Caribe, and watch Campbell painting part of his work Aperture--Middle Passage directly onto the gallery wall.

And look out for coverage of Infinite Island in the upcoming November issue of the CRB.



Storm Saulter (b. Jamaica 1983). Waterboot, 2003. Single-channel DVD, color, sound, 2 min. 25 sec. Courtesy of Palm Pictures