Experience Caribbean art and culture with this breathtaking exhibit at PAMA

Krystal Ball – Native Tongue, 2020

Brampton’s premier art gallery is no stranger to unique art exhibits that open up our eyes to the experiences of other cultures, and their newest exhibit is strongly continuing that trend.

PAMA has partnered with CArt (Caribbean Art) Fair and the Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND) to present when night stirred at sea: Contemporary Caribbean Art. The exhibit has launched at PAMA, first as a virtual exhibition and then on-site, once PAMA is able to re-open to the public safely.

“We are thrilled to finally see this showcase come to fruition after a year in the making and to welcome guest curators Karen and Greg to the PAMA family,” said Rene Nand, Manager, Community and Cultural Engagement at PAMA.

Ila Lovelace-Kuhnert – Rose, 2020

Virtual programming highlights include:

• Thursday, Nov. 26, 7 pm: Art & Book Club Virtual Tour in partnership with Brampton Library. This month’s feature book is These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card. The event includes a virtual tour of the exhibit. (Reserve your spot)
• Saturday, Nov. 28, 2 pm: PAMA Photo Talk featuring Vanley Burke, Christina Leslie, Janice Reid,and Storm Saulter (Reserve your spot)
• Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021: PAMA Painting and Textiles Talk featuring Krystal Ball, Katrina Coombs, Javier Dayes, Owen V. Gordon and Miles Regis (Reserve your spot)

“As a Canadian of Jamaican descent, I felt very passionately that this was an important story to tell, now more than ever,” said Nand.

Janice Reid – Hold On, 2019

This exhibition showcases various artists (including Brampton’s very own Janice Reid) who were featured in the inaugural CArt Fair in Mandeville, Jamaica back in January and February – an event that seems like a lifetime ago due to the global pandemic that upturned our lives about a month later.

The rising health crisis initially made the need for a comprehensive look at Caribbean art seem far less urgent. Then came the rise of the global Black Lives Matter movement and protests, which spurred more energetic conversations about racism, as well as how indigenous African slave labour was used to build our modern capitalist society.

It’s these timely subjects, as well as themes of identity, community, colonization, globalization, social justice, activism and climate change, that the exhibit aims to highlight. These events have shifted the conversations about the role the Caribbean has played in the development of the “new world”, making the voice of the artists from this region and the larger diaspora more relevant than ever.

Miles Regis – America, 2020

The artists featured in this exhibition are all connected to the English Caribbean islands, with several based right here in the GTA:

• Janice Reid (Jamaican/Canadian, Brampton-based)
• Krystal Ball (Jamaican/Canadian, Toronto-based)
• Vanley Burke (Jamaican/British, London-based)
• Katrina Coombs (Jamaican)
• Javier Dayes (Jamaican)
• Owen V. Gordon (Jamaican/Canadian, Toronto-based)
• Ila Lovelace-Kuhnert (Trinidadian)
• Christina Leslie (Canadian, Toronto-based)
• Miles Regis (Trinidadian/American, Los Angeles-based)
• Storm Saulter (Jamaican)

Vanley Burke – Velrose, Cannon Hill Park, 1972

“It is a pleasure to be working with such a wide range of artists with connections to the English Caribbean on this exhibition,” said co-curators Karen Carter and Greg Manuel.

“During the inaugural CArt fair in Mandeville, Jamaica, in January of this year, we could never have imagined that only nine months later, we would be opening an exhibition with PAMA in a world even more in need of these artists’ voices.”

Sign up now to experience this spectacular exhibit for yourself –  visit PAMA virtual exhibit for a full look at each artist’s various works, and sign up for the Art & Book Club Virtual Tour, Photo Talk, and Painting and Textiles Talk.

PAMA continues to offer a variety of workshops and programs throughout the year for all ages, families and adults. To stay up to date on all of PAMA’s events and exhibits, follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.