During Miami Art Week, from December 8th to 10th, The OUT-MONDE
Art FOUNDATION anchored a three-day live program to deepen the understanding on Caribbean Mid-Atlantic contemporary art on the occasion of
Atlantic Arthouse's launch edition, "The Open Boat" during Miami Art Week 2023. By directing three panel discussions and a performance, our foundation gathered in Miami artists and art professionals from all over the Caribbean world.
During three days at Villa Paula, located in the heart of Miami's Little Haïti, with an echo to the spirit and culture of Miami’s long-established Caribbean communities, art professionals from the United States and the Bahamas moderated discussions with Caribbean artists and curators. The conversations covered several topics: performance, photography & what it means to be an artist from the Caribbean. As Education embodies one of our 3-E values, organizing this live program during Miami Art Week played a key role to increase the understanding of Caribbean contemporary art.
Nasaria Colette performing a poetic reading (December 8th, 2023, Villa Paula, Miami).
On December 8th, Marie Vickles, senior Director of Education at Perez Art Museum Miami and independent curator moderated a discussion on Performance in Caribbean contemporary art. The artists Nasaria Chollette (Cayman Islands) and Shannon Alonzo (Trinidad) presented how their artistic practice responds to a necessity for the complexities of their island’s heritage and culture. Chollette explained that her work preserves and spread the Cayman language. With that in mind, she performed a powerful poetic and theatrical reading, unearthing some untold historic truths. For his part, Alonzo pointed to “the quiet spaces in between Carnival” as a source of inspiration.
On December 9th,, an Artist Talk on the theme of "Open Boat: navigating the unknown", was animated by Heike Dempster, Director of Engagement and Outreach at YoungArts, and independent writer and curator. The artists Alia Knowles/Sapita (The Bahamas), Jean-Louis Sénatus (Haiti) and Diana Eusebio (Dominican Republic) shared their creative journeys and respective inspirations. Sénatus insisted on the fact that the process of learning is a journey that never end. Despite being perceived as a confirmed painter, he revealed that he is still trying to become one.
On December 10th, the last panel dealt with the role of photography in the Caribbean from past to contemporary times. I.C.E. Gallery curator and emerging artist Reagan Kemp (Bahamas) moderated a discussion with artists Ray-Anthony Eddie aka Zen (Tra Gallery, Miami) and Karl Joseph(French Guiana), and curators Éline Gourgues (French Guiana) and Lisa Howie (Black Pony Gallery, Bermuda). In addition to covering several topics directly linked with photography, including the influence of the landscape, the utility of digital tools, accessibility of photography and its role in the meta-conversation on fine art, they also discussed the advantages and limitations met by Caribbean artists in a global space.
Day 1 - Moderator Marie Vickles, and artists Nasaria Chollette & Shannon Alonzo
Day 2 - Moderator Heike Dempster and artists Alia Knowles, Jean-Louis Senates and Diana Eusebio
Day 3 - Moderator Reagan Kemp, artists Ray-Anthony Eddie aka Zen, Karl Joseph and curators Éline Gourgues, Lisa Howie
Atlantic Arthouse, Incubator for Collaborative Expression, Pérez Art Museum Miami, YoungArts, Xqsitor