Rockstone and Bootheel
Transcription
Rockstone and Bootheel
ISSUE 4 FEBRUARY 10 www.realar tways.org Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Real Art Ways’ Director of Visual Arts Kristina Newman-Scott is a practicing artist. Newman-Scott has organized and curated exhibitions with a particular focus on presenting emerging artists in innovative ways. Her previous curatorial projects include Shadow Show, Archaeology of Wonder and Real Public. Yona Backer is a co-founder of Third Streaming, a project where popular culture, contemporary art, film, fashion and design intersect. Previously, she served as the Director of Visual Arts at the Americas Society in New York and most recently as the Senior Program Officer at the Andy Warhol Foundation. Yona Backer was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. www.realar tways.org CONTENTS About The Curators About Rockstone and Bootheel: Contemporary West Indian Art The exhibition’s name comes from Jamaican dub-metal song, 4. a Ewan Atkinson Road Kill I, 2006 “Rockstone and Bootheel,” by Gibby. It’s a colloquial phrase that Man Maid, 2006 Left Hand Turn, 2006 means “taking a journey.” Rockstone Bootheel is, in fact, an Dogand Track III, 2006 6. Reneesometimes Cox exhibition composed of many journeys, conflicting,all Poolside, 2008 Rockstone & Bootheel includes works of 39 artists from the West aKhalil Jump Off, 2008 influenced by the social, political, Deanemic conditions 8. Blue Curry Indies and the diaspora, focusing on artists from the Bahamas, of life in the West Indies and the diaspora. “West Indies”refers to a Discovery of the Palm Tree Phone Mast, 2008 Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.“The West Indies” refers Untitled, 2009 group of islands in the Caribbean formerly under British control. 10. Makandal Dada (a.k.a. K. Khalfani Ra) to the group of islands in the Caribbean formerly under British The exhibition focuses on artists from the Bahamas, Barbados, Birth-rite of restoration, 2009 control. More than half of the artists are showing work in the US Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago, all British colonies, each 12. former Ras Kassa for the first time. Featuring large-scale installation, new media The Trod, 2000 with a distinct artistic presence. Rockstone and Bootheel offers 14. Jayson Keeling and multidisciplinary works, digital projections, large format • Jesus speak of me as I the am, 2007 region’s popular a snapshot of recent works that draw from Listen without prejudice, 2007 photographs, assemblage sculptures, paintings, live performance, culture and history. Rather than make the case for a particular 16. O’Neil Lawrence videos. Also featuring a public art project in one of Hartford’s West Re-Identified I, 2008 West Indian aesthetic, the exhibition a lively glimpse Re-Identifiedoffers II, 2008 Re-Identified III, 2008 Indian markets. Hartford, Connecticut has the third largest West into contemporary Anglophone18.Caribbean visual practice Phillip Thomas Indian population in the US, after New York and Miami. an energetic “mash up” of art that at the intersection of Study,lies 2008 20. and Dave Williams popularand urban culture. Music dance are pervasive in Me and My Mannequin Performance, 2010 West Indian culture. Many of the works in Rockstone and Bootheel 22. Rockstone & Bootheel incorporate sound and performative elements, drawing from A Brief History 23. other Staff Listing Carnival, Jamaican Dancehall, and dominant subcultures. 24. Rockstone & Bootheel The works also tell stories of the region’s complicated history, a The Exhibit history filled with conflict, transformation, and cross-cultural 26. 39 Artists... 29. The Artists Link Up exchange.Through their work,the artists address issues including 30. Rockstone & Bootheel gender, race, sexuality and homophobia, and the rampant crime Film Series Listing and violence plaguing many of the islands’ inner cities. 31. Rockstone & Bootheel The exhibition features large-scale installations, new media and Press Listing 32. Rockstone & Bootheel multi-disciplinary works, digital projections, music videos All Magazine Issues Reference and largeformat photographs. Also featured are assemblage sculptures,paintings, and live performances. ROCKSTONE & BOOTHEEL eMAGAZINE issue 4 Feb 2010. PUBLISHER REAL ART WAYS www.realartways.org 56 Arbor Street Hartford, CT 06106 EDITOR Kristina Newman-Scott Yona Backer DESIGNER DRACONIAN SWITCH Richard Mark Rawlins ABOUT REAL ART WAYS Real Art Ways is one of the leading contemporary arts organizations in the United States, with a record of linking artists, innovation and community. Programs include visual arts, with exhibitions, public art projects, and artist presentations; cinema, with independent and international films 7 nights a week; music; performance; literary events; community and educational programming. Ewan Atkinson Barbados, born 1975. The relationship between fuels Ewan Atkinson’s work. The spaces that people decorate and define for themselves and their possessions are a reflection of the self. As a resident of Road Kill I, 2006 Mixed media on panel, 17” x 14” the Caribbean, Atkinson pays particular attention to how the Dog Track III, 2006 Mixed media on panel, 30” x 22.5” region’s diverse population contributes to its particular aesthetic and questions how rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art personality and personal space these factors tie into cultural identity. Through this he explores his own identity, its real art ways 5 influences and its limitations. Left Hand Turn, 2006 Mixed media on panel, 12” x 12” Man Maid, 2006 Mixed media on panel, 17” x 14” Renee Cox Jamaica, born 1960. Renowned contemporary photographer Renee Cox has rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art used her own body, both nude and clothed, to celebrate black womanhood and criticize a society she often views as racist and sexist. Born in Colgate, Jamaica, into an upper middle-class family, who later settled in Scarsdale, New York, Cox is widely acclaimed for her photographic series that provoke, question and challenge the multilayered impact of sexism and racial prejudice. of the Bougies series as her “Black Desperate Housewives meets The Valley of the Dolls,” which was the working title for the series. In an interview Cox explained that the work was inspired by her experience living in suburbia “around these women who are on Valium and pain killers and drink cocktails. They’re privileged but they’re alienated and they’re isolated. They’re alone.” Renee Cox continues to push the envelop in her work, questioning society and the roles it gives to blacks and women with her elaborate scenarios and imaginative visuals that offend some and exhilarate others. top: Poolside, 2008 From the The Discreet Charm of the Bougies series Pigment print, 33” x 41” left: Jump Off, 2008 From the The Discreet Charm of the Bougies series Pigment Print, 31.5” x 39” 7 real art ways Cox described The Discrete Charm Blue Curry Bahamas, born 1964. Blue Curry works with sculptural assemblage, installation and video. rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Much of his recent work touches upon the fantasies of the native, the tropical and the exotic and how these notions are created, reinforced and played into. His work positions itself somewhere between cultural artifact, tourist souvenir and contemporary art piece. The objects he creates are often exaggerated, elegant and sensorially luscious, but at the same time unsophisticated, improvised and even shambolic in their construction. Discovery of the Palm Tree Phone Mast, 2008 Single-channel video, TRT: 2 min 18 sec In the video Discovery of the Palm Tree Phone Mast, Blue Curry leads the viewer on a reconnaissancelike mission of a cell phone tour disguised as a palm tree. As the viewer approaches the target from multiple angles he is finally able to uncover the tree’s true identity. Untitled, 2009 Conch shell, stroboscopic lamp (flash rate variable), 7” x 8” x 5” real art ways 9 Makandal Dada (a.k.a. K. Khalfani Ra) Birth-rite of restoration, 2009 Mixed media with nails on fabric, 54” x 28” Jamaica, born 1958. Makandal Dada, also known as K. identity as a West Indian is reflected in his work. “Art.... a bulwark against the cultural decadence and political barbarisms of the West.... a proactive strike against the crime called history.... the neutralization of the rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Khalfani Ra, describes how his self psycho-aesthetic terrorism of art recognizes that, for the descendants of those who came under the lash of the whip, to be a ‘West Indian’, is to accept the identity of the slave....” 11 real art ways religion and society.... Ras Kassa 13 real art ways The Trod, 2000 Single-channel video, TRT: 30 min 16 sec Often called “The Guru” this award-winning Jamaican director, producer, writer and entrepreneur is internationally known for his unique directorial slate of mainstreem television and music videos. Kassa, who adopted his name from the Ethiopian general Ras Kassa (cousin to Haile Selassie I), uses his belief as a Rastafarian in his cinematic vision. The documentary The Trod, dives into the secrets and the stories of his beloved Jamaica. rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Jamaica, born 1974. Jayson Keeling USA/Jamaica, born 1966. Jayson Keeling’s continuing objective is to anchor and subtly rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art allude to desire in its purest manifestations. He is interested in death, excess, joy and the search for the futile and unattainable as they relate to notions of power, social hierarchy and the intangible avenues of their exploitation within culture. To this end, he applies an interdisciplinary practice that simultaneously explores and exploits cultural iconography and residue, with Jesus speak of me as I am, 2007 Single-channel video, TRT: 3 min 32 sec Keeling uses painting, video, sculpture and photography to achieve this goal. He seeks to undermine both the objectivity that people bring to the art experience, along with the creation in the viewer, of an acute awareness of their position in relation to the construction and confines of power. Listen without prejudice, 2007 Single-channel video, TRT: 43 sec real art ways 15 appropriationist gestures. O’Neil Lawrence rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Jamaica, born 1977. This body of work is part of a continuing series that O’Neil Lawrence has created, which seeks to convey the continuing internal struggles of self and identity between European influences and African heritage. Which self should he be? Which influences should his persona reflect? The figures in the work Re-Identified III, 2008 Digital print on gator board, 24” x 36” are allegorical references to the different emotional states induced by conflicted duel cultures and the ever present racial memory of the Middle Passage. Re-Identified II, 2008 Digital print on gator board, 24” x 36” 17 real art ways Re-Identified I, 2008 Digital print on gator board, 24” x 36” Phillip Thomas Study, 2008 Mixed media on paper, 18” x 24” Courtesy of Russell Wikenson This allows for a kind of manufacture cultural reliquaries, metadiscourse between the artifacts and social curiosities originals and the copies of that represent the cultural western art history. This act of tapestry of the Caribbean and the “master copy” is the very the wider “new world”, using nature of colonialism. The mediums and other agents of idea of studying at a “French the old world. Paintings and Academy” in the United States other artifacts in this case are is entrenched in cross-cultural not for the sake of the medium pollination. For the Caribbean, of presentation, but more so there are specific cultures that as an artifact of works of art concern the work. Predominantly of the past. Hence the entire the English, the French and object produced (stretcher bars, the Spanish. Each one of these frames, oil paints, Phillip Thomas cultures is reflected in the body and all the other elements and of works presented. From the mediums of these objects) is “master copies” of Turner and a complete manifestation of Ribera to sections of Velazquez, an archaeological response to are fused into the discourse not agents of the old world as well as as mere hints of artistic influence, products of the new. but also as cultural relics. 19 real art ways Phillip Thomas intends to rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Jamaica, born 1980. Dave Williams Dave Williams has performed On March 14, Williams and worked through the performed the solo work Caribbean, the UK, USA and Me and My Mannequin at the Europe, and has also been a closing reception for dance teacher. His performing Rockstone & Bootheel. career spans 24 years and his body of work allows him, in retrospect, to decipher an enduring intent. His work attempts to find and magnify the feminine energy, qualities rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Trinidad, born 1964. and possibilities of men, effeminate. In pursuing this, he believes that he can reveal the most vulnerable and at risk component of Caribbean life real male confidence. 21 real art ways without making them (the men) Real Art Ways began when a group of visual artists and musicians took over a rambling upstairs space on Asylum Street in downtown Hartford. The founding members created a bare bones salon in which they lived, worked and presented the work of others. The idea of alternativity to the mainstream is central to Real Art Ways – the organization arose at a moment when alternative ideas were being explored (e.g. alternative foods, alternative medicines) and alternative institutions were being established (e.g. alternative newspapers, alternative schools, food co-ops, alternative health care programs). Through the latter part of the decade and into the 1980s, Real Art Ways became a necessary venue for artists and performers to be seen and heard, with presentations in innovative music especially notable. Rapid commercial real estate development led to Real Art Ways losing three spaces in ten years. The final eviction in 1989 left Real Art Ways teetering on the edge of extinction, and the organization landed in a small space at 56 Arbor Street in the culturally mixed neighborhood of Parkville. Under the new leadership of executive director Will K. Wilkins, Real Art Ways regrouped after the move to Parkville. Wilkins ushered in a second life to the organization by commissioning a series of vigorous public art projects, which have been placed in sites throughout the city. Real Art Ways obtained a 30-year lease on a large warehouse space, and began the development of a unique center for arts and culture. At the same time, Real Art Ways has been very involved in the Parkville neighborhood, and has participated in planning processes for a redesign of the central commercial district, and for neighborhood gateways. The Real Art Ways Cinema opened in the fall of 1996, showing first-run, independent films seven nights a week. The galleries were renovated and re-opened in June of 1999. The Real Room and Loading Dock Lounge were renovated and opened in November of 2002. The quality and diversity of Real Art Ways’ work have earned it repeated funding from national sources, including the National Endowment for the Arts, The Andy Warhol Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Wallace Foundation as well as key local funders including United Technologies, Aetna, Travelers, Bank of America, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, The Hartford, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and many more. Real Art Ways’ projects have generated regional and national media coverage, including pieces in Art in America, ArtNews, ArtForum, National Public Radio, the New York Times, Associated Press, Sculpture, Details, the Source, and Rolling Stone. In 2004 Real Art Ways organized and presented the landmark exhibition None of the Above: Contemporary Work by Puerto Rican Artists. The exhibition was shown at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in 2005, the first exhibition of contemporary Puerto Rican art organized off the island to be shown in Puerto Rico. Building on the success of None of the Above, in the fall and winter of 2005-06 Real Art Ways produced Faith, a multi-disciplinary project centered around an exhibition curated by artist James Hyde, and including work by Patty Chang, Mat Collishaw, Rachel Harrison, Nancy Haynes, Shirazeh Houshiary, Christopher Lucas, Josiah McElheney, Walid Ra’ad (The Atlas Group), Sabeen Raja, Archie Rand, Arlene Shechet, and Nari Ward. Real Art Ways collaborated with the Hartford Seminary, and presented nine films that addressed various aspects of faith, along with several live arts events, including concerts, poetry readings and performances. In 2006-2007 we produced POZA, a multidisciplinary project centered around an exhibition curated by art historian, critic and poet Marek Bartelik. POZA brought together work by artists, writers, filmmakers, and thinkers with direct and indirect ties to Poland. Taking as a point of departure specific national and cultural distinctions, which could be called “Polishness,” the project offered an open-ended proposition that treated such distinctions as matters of choice and awareness, rather than linking them to a specific locality or place of birth. Featuring 31 visual artists, POZA also included literary events and an original film series, with 18 films and discussions guided by community leaders. Today, Real Art Ways is widely regarded as one of the country’s outstanding contemporary art spaces, one that has a special link with its own community. With films, concerts, performance, readings, exhibitions and a lounge where people gather before and after events. Real Art Ways is a unique meeting place for people of widely varying backgrounds to come together around art and ideas. Roxanna Booth Individual Giving Manager Tora Buttaro Executive Assistant STAFF LISTING Meghan Dahn Development Manager Board of Trustees Madison Day Membership Coordinator Gabriela Garlaza-Block Chair Barbara Hocker Bookkeeper Hank Schwartz Vice Chair Nadya Koropey Community Programs Coordinator Gary E. West Secretary JP Leblanc Business Manager Carol A. Fitzgerald Treasurer John Morrison Director of Film Programming Jim Bridgeman LB Muñoz Hospitality Manager Kristina Newman-Scott Director of Visual Arts John Byrnes Audrey Conrad Ileen Swerdloff Abby Ohlheiser Communications Coordinator Erinn Roos Visual Arts Coordinator rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Founded in 1975, Real Art Ways is one of the country’s early alternative arts spaces. Real Art Ways presents and produces new and innovative work by emerging and established artists, and serves as a crucial connection for audiences and artists regionally, nationally and internationally. The organization has sustained itself through committed support for new ideas and disciplines, and has steadily built a diverse and unique audience that crosses lines of color, sexual orientation, economics and age. 23 www.realar tways.org real art ways a brief HISTORY of REAL ART WAYS Diana Rosen Cinema Coordinator Will K. Wilkins Executive Director Installation images for Ewan Atkinson, Renee Cox, Blue Curry, Makandal Dada, O’Neil Lawrence and Phillip Thomas were provided by John Groo. Public programs slated to take place during the run of the show include film screenings, readings, performances, live music, artist talks, lectures, and community based activities. An event schedule is available online. About Rockstone and Bootheel: Contemporary West Indian Art The exhibition’s name comes from a Jamaican dub-metal Rockstone and Bootheel offers a snapshot of recent works that draw from the region’s popular culture and history. Rather than make the case for a particular West Indian aesthetic, the exhibition offers a lively glimpse into contemporary Anglophone Caribbean visual practice - an energetic “mash up” of art that lies at the intersection of popular and urban culture. Music and dance are pervasive in West Indian culture. Many of the works in Rockstone and Bootheel incorporate sound and performative elements, drawing from Carnival, Jamaican Dancehall, and other dominant subcultures. The works also tell stories of the region’s complicated history, a history filled with conflict, transformation, and cross-cultural exchange. Through their work, the artists address issues including gender, race, sexuality and homophobia, and the rampant crime and violence plaguing many of the islands’ inner cities. The exhibition features large-scale installations, new media and multi-disciplinary works, digital projections, music videos and largeformat photographs. Also featured are assemblage sculptures, paintings, and live performances. An offsite public art project by Karyn Olivier Karyn Olivier will install an interactive library within ACA Foods, a West Indian grocery store in Hartford, Connecticut. The selected books are by West Indian authors and have themes associated with Caribbean culture and history. Distributed among the food items within the store, the books will be available for the store’s customers to borrow and return. Literary readings and events will occur as part of this project. For details, visit www.realartways.org/ visualarts.htm#rockstone. The exhibition’s 39 participating artists are Akuzuru, Ewan Atkinson, Lawrence Graham-Brown, Renee Cox, Christopher Cozier, Blue Curry, Sonya Clark, Makandal Dada, Annalee Davis, Khalil Deane, Zachary Fabri, Joscelyn Gardner, Marlon Griffith, Satch Hoyt, Christopher Irons, Leasho Johnson, Ras Kassa, Jayson Keeling, O’Neil Lawrence, Christina Leslie, Simone Leigh, Jaime Lee Loy, Dave McKenzie, Wendell McShine, Petrona Morrison, Karyn Olivier, Zak Ové, Ebony G. Patterson, Omari Ra, Peter Dean Rickards, Nadine Robinson, Sheena Rose, Oneika Russell, Heino Schmid, Phillip Thomas, Adele Todd, Nari Ward, Jay Will and Dave Williams. Catalog by leading Caribbean designer Richard Rawlins will create an interactive website and catalog for the exhibition’s international audience. Rawlins is artistic director for CMB Creative and the founder of the online magazine Draconian Switch. Like Draconian Switch, the catalog will also feature creative work by designers working in advertising. Contributing writers to the catalog include Garnette Cadogan; Nicholas Laughlin (editor of the Caribbean Review of Books); writers and critics Annie Paul and Melanie Archer; Donna P. Hope, a professor of Dancehall Culture and Reggae Studies; and poet/activist Muhammad Muwakil. Support Rockstone and Bootheel is made possible by generous support from: The National Endowment for the Arts, The www.realar tways.org Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Real Art Ways members, The J. Walton Bissell Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign, Travelers, The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Sandy and Howard Fromson, Robinson and Nancy Grover, The Wallace Foundation , Lincoln Financial Group, and Gary E. West. Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 2-10 pm; Friday and Saturday 2pm to midnight. Closed Mondays. rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Satch Hoyt Christopher Irons Leasho Johnson Ras Kassa Jayson Keeling O’Neil Lawrence Christina Leslie Simone Leigh Jaime Lee Loy Dave McKenzie Wendell McShine Petrona Morrison Karyn Olivier Zak Ové Ebony G. Patterson Omari Ra Peter Dean Rickards Nadine Robinson Sheena Rose Oneika Russell Heino Schmid Phillip Thomas Adele Todd Nari Ward Jay Will Dave Williams song, “Rockstone and Bootheel,” by Gibby. It’s a colloquial phrase that means “taking a journey.” Rockstone and Bootheel is, in fact, an exhibition composed of many journeys, sometimes conflicting, all influenced by the social, political, and economic conditions of life in the West Indies and the diaspora. “West Indies” refers to a group of islands in the Caribbean formerly under British control. The exhibition focuses on artists from the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago, all former British colonies, each with a distinct artistic presence. Cinema open daily. 25 real art ways Akuzuru Ewan Atkinson Sonya Clark Christopher Cozier Renee Cox Blue Curry Makandal Dada Annalee Davis Khalil Deane Zachary Fabri Joscelyn Gardner Lawrence Graham-Brown Hartford, Connecticut – Real Art Ways presents some of the most challenging, recent work by artists from the Anglophone Caribbean and the diaspora in Rockstone and Bootheel: Contemporary West Indian Art, curated by Kristina Newman-Scott and Yona Backer. The exhibition, featuring the works of 39 artists, evokes the feeling of a high-energy “mash up.” The works are juxtaposed in conversation with each other to reveal complex, fragmented stories about contemporary Anglophone Caribbean culture, challenging common assumptions about West Indian artistic expression. Rockstone and Bootheel opens on Saturday, November 14, and runs through Sunday, March 14, 2010. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street in Hartford’s Parkville neighborhood. For more information, contact Real Art Ways: www.realartways.org or 860.232.1006. Zachary Fabri - Opening Performance Sonya Clark USA/Jamaica, born 1967 Iterations, 2008 Plastic combs, 8”x120”x60” Courtesy of the artist Renee Cox Jamaica, born 1960 Image shown: Poolside, 2008 Pigment print, 33”x41” Courtesy of artist Marlon Griffith Trinidad and Tobago, born 1976 Image shown: Louis, 2009 Powder Box (Schoolgirl series) Digital prints on gator board, 48”x32” Satch Hoyt UK/Jamaica, born 1957 Rimology, 2009 Chrome wheel rims with soundscape, dimensions variable Courtesy of the artist and Wheel Design Christopher Irons Jamaica, born 1973 Printa, 2008 Single-channel video, TRT: 4 min Courtesy of the artist Leasho Johnson Jamaica, born 1981 Orange Boy series, 2008 Mixed media orange juice boxes, 3”x3”x5.5” Courtesy of the artist Christopher Cozier Blue Curry Bahamas, born 1974 Image shown: Discovery of the Palm Tree Phone Mast, 2008, Single-channel video, TRT: 2 min 18 sec Courtesy of the artist Makandal Dada (a.k.a. Khalfani Ra) Jamaica, born 1958 Birth-rite of restoration, 2009 Mixed media with nails on fabric, 54”x28” Courtesy of the artist Annalee Davis Barbados, born 1963 On The Map, 2007 Single-channel video, TRT: 30 min Courtesy of the artist Ras Kassa Jamaica, born 1974 The Trod, 2000 Single-channel video, TRT: 30 min 16 sec Courtesy of the artist Jayson Keeling US/Jamaica, born 1966 Image shown: Jesus speak of me as I am, 2007 Single-channel video, TRT: 3 min 32 sec Courtesy of the artist O’Neil Lawrence Jamaica, born 1977 Image shown: Re-Identified III, 2008 Digital print on gator board, 24”x36” Courtesy of the artist Simone Leigh USA/Jamaica, born 1968 Cage, 2009 Steel suspended on wall, 264”x75”x89” Yellow Stack, 2009 Zachary Fabri USA, born 1977 The Big Pay Back, 2009 Single-channel video, TRT: 1 min 58 sec Courtesy of the artist Joscelyn Gardner Barbados, born 1961 Image shown: Hibiscus esculentus (Sibyl), 2009 Hand-colored stone lithographs on frosted mylar, 9”x18” Courtesy of the artist Christina Leslie Canada/Jamaica, born 1983 EveryTING Irie series (8 of 14) Handcrafted chromogenic prints, 23.5”x19.3” Courtesy of Wedge Curatorial Projects Jamie Lee Loy Trinidad, born 1980 The Roach, 2007 From Roaches and Flowers: War in the Home Live flowers and silk pins, 42”x24” Courtesy of the artist Dave McKenzie Jamaica/USA, born 1977 Present Tense, 2007 Single-channel video, TRT: 19 min Courtesy of the artist and Susan Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects Wendell McShine Trinidad, born 1973 Prosper, 2009 Animation, TRT: 4 min 30 sec Courtesy of the artist Trinidad and Tobago, born 1959 Sound System Version II, 2007 Installation: 4 speaker sound system Music: a sound collaboration by Christopher Cozier, Robin Foster, Sheldon Holder & Martin Raymond (with sound sequences by Chantal Esdelle, Christian Campbell & Yvette Grey). This sound work received start up support from the Prince Claus Fund of the Netherlands. rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Ewan Atkinson Barbados, born 1975 Image shown: Left Hand Turn, 2006 Mixed media on panel, 12”x12” Courtesy of artist 27 real art ways 39 ARTISTS ... Akuzuru Trinidad and Tobago, born 1966 Trans-Portal //\\ The Ascent, 2007 Digital print, dimensions variable Courtesy of the artist Khalil Deane Jamaica, born 1977 Blood Soaked Skies, 2007 Triptych - Acrylic paint on canvas, 34”x92” Courtesy of the artist Lawrence Graham-Brown Jamaica, born 1969 Image shown: Ras-Pan-Afro-Homo Sapien, 2009 Mixed media mannequin, 36”x18”x12” Courtesy of the artist Ebony Patterson Jamaica/USA, born 1981 Endz – Khani + Di Krew I-III, 2009 From the Disciplez series Mixed media on paper with petals and pussy bulletz, dimensions variable Courtesy of the artist Nari Ward USA/Jamaica, born 1963 Lazarus, 2006 Metal stand, taxidermy turtle, plastic, electrical tape, plaster St. Lazarus, thermometer, brushes and plastic intravenous bag with Chinese herbs, 51”x21”x21” Courtesy of the Lehmann Maupin Gallery Renee Cox http://reneecox.org/ Christopher Cozier http://christophercozier. blogspot.com/ Blue Curry http://www.bluecurry.com/ Sonya Clark http://www.sonyaclark.com/ Annalee Davis http://www.annaleedavis.com/ Khalil Deane http://www.myspace.com/ kimalabennett Omari Ra Jamaica, born 1960 The book of the dead: Illustrations of the patois bible, 2008 Mixed media collage, dimensions variable Courtesy of artist Peter Dean Rickards (Rickards Brothers) Jamaica, born 1969 Image shown: Proverbs 24:10, 2008 Single-channel video, TRT: 2 min 36 sec Courtesy of the artist Nadine Robinson US/Jamaica, born 1968 Laquita, 2005 Synthetic hair fiber, mbf board and hair pins, 144”x96”x2” Courtesy of the artist Sheena Rose Barbados, born 1985 Town, 2009 Silent single-channel video, TRT: 2 min 30 sec Courtesy of the artist Jay Will Jamaica, born 1979 It’s All About Dancing : Jamaican –U – Mentary,2006 Single-channel video, TRT: 100 minutes Courtesy of the artist Zachary Fabri http://www.zacharyfabri.com/ index.html/ Joscelyn Gardner http://www.joscelyngardner. com/ Satch Hoyt http://www.satchhoyt.com/ Ras Kassa http://www.raskassa.com/ O’Neil Lawrence http://www.petrinearcher.com/ oneil-lawrence Oneika Russell Jamaica, born 1980 Porthole, 2008 Single-channel video, TRT: 3 min 47 sec Heino Schmid Bahamas, born 1976 North Star, 2008 Single-channel digital video, TRT: 6 min 23 sec Courtesy of the artist and the National Gallery of the Bahamas Phillip Thomas Study, 2008 mixed media on paper, 18”x24” Courtesy of Russell Wikenson Adele Todd Trinidad and Tobago, born 1965 Image shown: Police an’ Tief, 2008-2009 Embroidery on linen, 6 ¾” x 11 ¼” Courtesy of the artist Dave Williams Trinidad and Tobago, born 1964 Mannequin and Me performance Courtesy of the artist Simone Leigh http://www.simoneleigh.com/ Jaime Lee Loy http://jaimeleeloy.blogspot. com/ Karyn Olivier http://www.karynolivier.com/ Zak Ové http://www.zak-ove.co.uk/ Ebony G. Patterson http://www.artitup.zoomshare. com/ Omari Ra http://www.aviscafineart.com/ Jamaican_Gallery/Omari_Ra/ omari_ra.htm Peter Dean Rickards http://www.afflictedyard.com/ Oneika Russell http://www.oneikarussell.net/ Heino Schmid http://www.heinoschmid.com/ Adele Todd http://www.adeletodd.wordpress. com/ Nari Ward http://www.nariward.net/ Jay Will http://www.youtube.com/user/ jaywillfilms Karyn Olivier karynolivier.com rockstone & bootheel: contemporary west indian art Zak Ové UK/Trinidad and Tobago, born 1968 Blue Devils from the Transfigura series (9 works), 2001-2009 Gicle prints on aluminum, 55”x39” Courtesy of the artist Ewan Atkinson http://www.ewanatkinson.com/ Wendell McShine http://72ironman.blogspot.com/ 29 real art ways Karyn Olivier Trinidad and Tobago, born 1968 Site specific installation at ACA food store, Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut Courtesy of the artist ARTIST LINK UP 39 ARTISTS ... Petrona Morrison Jamaica, born 1954 Image shown: Us and Dem, 2009 From the Stick-em Up series Digital prints on foam core, 11”x13” Courtesy of the artist Akuzuru, http://www.bagfactoryart.org. za/html/resident/residents/ AKUZURU/AKUZURU.htm Directed by Jerome Laperrousaz A powerful portrait of the leaders of a Jamaican music movement that has become a worldwide phenomenon. The film tells the story of how artists that lived on a small Caribbean island nation of only three million people took their human experiences and turned them into songs full of emotions that resonate around the world. Reggae is Jamaica’s blues: a music of both desperation and hope. Click the picture for more info. JANUARY 17, 2 PM The Solitary Alchemist FEBRUARY 14, 2 PM Goathead Directed by Paul Bucknor A romantic comedy set in rural Jamaica where Randy and Stella find their country love merged with the antics of goat thieves. Based on the story District Fellowship by Hazel Campbell. Directed by Mariel Brown Filmed over three years, in Trinidad, England, and Scotland, The Solitary Alchemist is a moving and intimate portrait of the life and art of Trinidadian jeweller Barbara Jardine. Click the picture for more info. NOVEMBER 29, 2 PM Rain JANUARY 17, 2 PM Melting Treasure Directed by Maria Govan After the death of her grandmother, 14-year-old Rain is forced to trade her simple but happy life for the uncertainties of living in the capital with her drug-addict and prostitute mother who abandoned her as a baby. Rain finds hope in her promising sprinting abilities. Animated short Directed by Natasha Mahabir and Renu Boodoosingh. A little girl tries to keep her treasure from melting. FEBRUARY 21, 2 PM The Upsetter: The Music and Genius of Lee Scratch Perry Directed by David Loeb Weis. A documentary about the life and genius of Jamaican musician and visionary Lee Scratch Perry. Click the picture for more info. PRESS COVERAGE FILM SERIES LISTING NOVEMBER 15, 2 PM Made in Jamaica HARTFORD COURANT ‘Rockstone and Bootheel’ Comes To City With Nation’s Third-Largest West Indian Population click here for article FASHION OFFICE.ORG Taking a journey to and from the Caribbean click here for article NY TIMES Art & Design ROCKSTONE AND BOOTHEEL: CONTEMPORARY WEST INDIAN ART click here for article THE JAMAICA OBSERVER The Mystic Legacy click here for article THE BARBADOS NATIONAL GALLERY Click the picture for more info. Barbadian Artists invited to exhibit works in the USA click here for article Click the picture for more info. DECEMBER 6, 2 PM Racing Definitions Catch A Fire Dominoes and Bingo Three short films discussing history, race, and community in Caribbean cultures. See website for more details. JANUARY 24, 2 PM Inna di Yard JANUARY 24, 2 PM Scoundrel Directed by Rochelle Allana Brown A project to record music in the back yard of reggae guitar legend, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith. Click the picture for more info. Directed by Nile Saulter Deep in the Jamaican countryside lives Jacket, a bumbling, argumentative and filthy restaurateur. When a customer gets a bit more on his plate than he’d bargained for, Jacket still seems not to care about of his ways--that is, until the health inspector is alerted to his activities and Jacket is forced to clean up his act. Click the picture for more info. DECEMBER 13, 2 PM Journey of the Lion Directed by Fritz Baumann Brother Howie is a Jamaican Rastifari who dreams of the land of his ancestors: Africa. On a journey in search of his roots and his identity he travels through three continents and - with great humor and sensitivity discovers the world...and Africa. Click the picture for more info. FEBRUARY 7, 2 PM Float Directed by Kareem J. Mortimer Jonny Roberts, a young painter from the crowded inner city of Nassau, travels to the beautiful island of Eleuthera to clear his mind. There, he meets the beautiful and sexually forward Romeo. MARCH 7, 2 PM Combing Through the Roots of Black Hair Directed by Kimala Bennett A documentary that explores the many manifestations of and perceptions about black hair. The film takes a literal and figurative route through the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Click the picture for more info. WEDGE CURATORIAL PROJECTS Rockstone & Bootheel @ RealArt Ways click here for article NEW YORK TIMES Colorful, Witty, Noisy: A West Indies Mélange click here for article BIG RED & SHINY ROCKSTONE AND BOOTHEEL @ REAL ART WAYS click here for article CONNECTICUT ART SCENE click here for article All Magazine Issues Issue #1 – November 2009 Issue #4 – February 2010 Christopher Cozier Ewan Atkinson Lawrence Graham-Brown Renee Cox Marlon Griffith Blue Curry Zak Ové Makandal Dada Ebony Patterson Ras Kassa Sheena Rose Jayson Keeling Richard Rawlins O’Neil Lawrence Phillip Thomas Issue #2 – December 2009 Dave Williams Joscelyn Gardner Satch Hoyt Issue #5 – March 2010 Petrona Morrison Sonya Clark Peter Dean Rickards Annalee Davis Nadine Robinson Zachary Fabri Heino Schmid Christopher Irons Adele Todd Leasho Johnson Wendell McShine Issue #3 – January 2010 Karyn Olivier Akuzuru Omari Ra Khalil Deane Oneika Russell Simone Leigh Jaime Lee Loy Christina Leslie Dave McKenzie Maxine Walters Nari Ward Jay Will www.realar tways.org 56 Arbor Street Har tford, CT 06106 Rockstone and Bootheel is made possible by the generous support from: Real Art Ways members, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Commission on Culture tourism, the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the Reed Foundation, Inc., the J. Walton Bissel Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign, Travelers Foundation, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Sandy and Howard Fromson, Robinson & Nancy Grover, the Wallace Foundation, Lincoln Financial Group, Ann Z. Leventhal, Marjorie Morrissey and Gary E. West.