Jamaica - a clash of memories and identity

Associated media

Bethan Gwawr Davies visits a challenging but enjoyable exhibition in Nottingham

As the year of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence draws to a close, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, UK is presenting the last part of its two-part exhibition celebrating the rich artistic and cultural legacy of the island nation. An exhibition that claims to open up discussions on such difficult issues as  race, stereotyping, poverty and a history of violence, ‘I is AnOther’ defies expectations and reveals a space filled with energy and vibrancy.

There are a nearly overwhelming number of works in the lower space. The atmosphere is of a strong desire and determination for expression combined with an air of aggression, embodied most strongly in the smashed Banksy original which lies in one corner. As Peter Dean Rickards’ documentary captures the raw energy of his team as they ripped down the Banksy work, fuelled by his personal dislike for the artist, you become aware that a certain type of attitude is present in the exhibition. There is a strong, almost stubborn desire by a number of the artists to create work that doesn’t sit quietly between the gallery walls, but pushes those boundaries and cries out its message.

Strewn across the floor are Nari Ward’s Domino Men, huge human-size dominoes, whose scale and burnt wood exteriors turn the gallery space into a tomb for these giant black coffins. The games and play of these sculptures soon give way as we consider how these dominos knocked each other over, as Ward explores the chain reaction of production and destruction on the island and the clashing of cultures new and old.

Hurvin Anderson’s work echoes the sense of scale present throughout the exhibition, as his large dripping paintings of backyards through chain-link fences and tennis courts appearing through obscuring rain speak of displaced memories, of the confusion of crossing cultures. Their tranquil settings allow a dignified and introspective look at the world through the eyes of a child of Jamaican immigrants to the United Kingdom.

Continuing the clash of memories and identity, of tranquil reflection and violent reaction is Ebony G. Patterson’s Of 72 Project. With its own dedicated room on the Mezzanine floor of the gallery, this space echoes the ‘tomb’ created by Nari Ward and becomes a shrine, as Patterson reflects on the deaths of 73 people in West Kingston, killed during riots in the Tivoli Garden community.  Hung all around the space are embellished scarves that bear the faces of the 72 unidentified men and one unidentified woman killed during the 2010 state of emergency. The beauty of the scarves and the lines of text that circle the room  raise questions about the identities of the victims, fill the space with life and lives lived, and force the viewer to look into the eyes of each of the dead. It is striking that, amongst all the ribbons, diamanté and bright patterns, it is the eyes of each of the 73 that become the first and almost only focus. In this hushed and reverent space, the work’s bright and beautiful colours become an angry expression of injustice and identities lost.

As the New Art Exchange continues its ambition to bring black, Asian and minority artists to the fore, ‘I is AnOther’ takes the complex and sensitive issue of national identity and provides a brilliant synopsis of Jamaican cross-cultures, both on the island itself and its diaspora. The gallery space, filled almost to bursting point, provides a witty, intelligent and at times humorous platform for Jamaica’s wealth of creativity, culture and strongly held opinions. Even as you travel from a metaphoric grave site up to a beautiful and reverent memorial, the pain and suffering of the nation is expressed with such brightness and hope, that while never ignoring the darker elements of Jamaican culture, the exhibition succeeds in furthering a progressive debate and discussion on the nation’s cultural future.