Issue 2022 of MOKO: New Vocabularies features a Special Bermuda Biennial 2022 Dispatch. The digital magazine, dedicated to Caribbean arts and letters, was co-founded by Richard Georges, the poetry juror for this year’s Biennial. The special dispatch presents a selection of art and poetry featured in the exhibition.
Of the Biennial, Andre Bagoo, MOKO’s Managing Editor, writes: “To help the gallery celebrate its 30th anniversary, poets were invited, just like the biennial artists, to respond to the set theme. This gesture towards ekphrasis has had interesting results. At the onset, it places poets alongside painters, sculptors and video artists in a manner that does not suggest any kind of hierarchical relationship. Poems are ‘displayed’ within the gallery space, perusable as you take in the art. If confluences and relationships emerge, it is because each individual is somehow capturing the zeitgeist.
But every piece from the biennial (whose jurors were Claire Gilman, Alexandria Smith, and Richard Georges), selected here for publication in Moko has been chosen also because it in some way troubles the categories of genre we so often take for granted. These pieces exemplify how these categories are more – to borrow Jacques Derrida’s notion from his famous essay The Law of Genre – contaminated than we would like to admit. To wit, Charlie Godet Thomas’ Downpour Dream Song, which he describes as an “Illuminated Manuscript”, pairs writing and imagery on newsprint. Cynthia Kirkwood’s delicate paintings recall asemic writing. James Cooper’s sculptures read like cheeky visual poems. Jessica Lightbourne’s poem brood, meanwhile, reminds us that a poem is first and foremost a visual thing, while Catherine Hay’s A Reference underlines poetry’s chameleon quality: it can shapeshift, it can be costumed in the form of an essay, letter or, in this case, ostensible character reference.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Bermuda National Gallery and the 70th anniversary of the Bermuda Society of Arts! Join us to celebrate this combined 100 years of art on Sunday, December 11, at the City Art Fest!
Come for an afternoon of gallery tours, workshops and live performances spanning art, poetry and music. Free activities for the whole family and free admission. Curated selections of arts and craft vendors and local artisan food and drink stands promise to satisfy your tastebuds and offer unique gift options for the festive season.
With the Bermuda National Gallery namedBest Museumand the Bermuda Society of Arts namedBest Gallery in the 2022 Best of Bermuda Awards, there is no better time to visit!
FREE WORKSHOPS
Ocean Plastics Photographic Workshop: Inspired by images created for her Flotsam & Jetsam exhibition, Biennial artist Meredith Andrews will be teaching children to create collages from ocean plastics that she has collected along Bermuda’s shoreline. The works will then be photographed. Ages 8-14 (or possibly younger if accompanied an adult).
Interactive Mixed Media Art Workshop: Biennial artist and art educator Louisa Bermingham will be hosting an interactive art experience. Participants will help build a multi-media surface using recycled card, fabrics and oil pastels that will then serve as a canvas for participants to leave their own mark. All ages.
Silverpoint Drawing Workshop: Biennial artist and BNG Founding Trustee Dr Charles Zuill will be presenting the ages old technique of metal point drawing, which was first used by medieval scribes before the invention of pencils. Ages 15 to adult.
Charcoal Drawing Workshop: Artist and art educator Richard Sutton will be teaching a traditional approach to drawing with charcoal. Participants will focus on layering to create a realistic shaded effect. Ages 15 to adult.
Sea Plastics Art Workshop: Biennial artist and Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation teacher Corrina Rego will be teaching children to create uniquely beautiful works of art using sea plastics found on Bermuda’s beaches. Ages 5 and up (or possibly younger if accompanied by adult).
Collage Workshop: Biennial artist Abi Box will be leading a collage and drawing workshop exploring the possibilities of shapes and composition through cutting, sticking and tracing to create abstractions and unlock creativity. Ages 10 and up (or possibly younger if accompanied by an adult).
Photography Workshop: Biennial artist and surf photographer Seth de Roulet will be leading a workshop on shape, line and texture and the way we use light to take better photographs. Ages 15 to adult.
FREE ARTIST TALKS
John Gardner on Rapid Sketching: Biennial artist and architect John Gardner will be discussing his rapid art technique. The artist, who taught Advanced Architecture at RISD, first developed the technique to break up the monotony of air travel during a period of regular commute between Bermuda and Rhode Island.
Charlie Godet Thomas on Art and Language: Biennial artist Charlie Godet Thomas will be talking about both the use and influence of language in his multi-media work. The artist, who lives in Mexico City, will discussing how he incorporates poetry into his work and what it means to work in a country where your first language isn’t the dominant language and the implications of this on his practice.
Meet the Artist: Graham Foster: Seven-time Bermuda Biennial artist Graham Foster, best known today for his Hall of History mural, which covers 1,000 square feet of the Commissioner’s House at the National Museum of Bermuda in Dockyard, will be on site to discuss his unique approach to painting.
LIVE ART
Photographic Portraits by Amanda Temple and Jacqueline Alma: Participants are invited to have their photograph taken by Amanda Temple in The Birdcage, a 2022 Biennial artwork by Jacqueline Alma which stands on the front lawn of City Hall & Art Centre. People can photographed alone or in a group and are encouraged to bring props to express their own versions of Past, Present and Futurein response to the theme of this year’s exhibition. Please register in advance with Jacqueline at j.alma.art@gmail.com.
Live Art with Dr Edwin Smith: Artist and educator Dr Edwin M.E. Smith will be creating an artwork entirely out of duct tape, inspired by Transience, a striking installation produced for the 2020 Bermuda Biennial. Watch the piece come together over a 2-hour period.
Live Painting with the Bermuda Plein Air Group: The Bermuda Plein Air artists, who meet each week to paint “en plein air” at locations across the island, will be painting live. Watch them capture various architectural aspects of the City Hall & Arts Centre in just two hours.
FREE GALLERY TOURS 2022 Bermuda Biennial | A Personal Perspective: Photographs by Richard Saunders | Masterpieces of the Renaissance: Selections from the National Collection | BSOA Winter Members Show
FREEPOETRY READINGS Tiffany Paynter | Andrea Ottley | Catherine Hay | Liana Nanang | Ajala Omodele | Yesha Townsend | Jessica Lightbourne | Venetia Furbert | Charlie Godet Thomas
FAMILY FUN 360 Photo Booth | Bouncy Castle | Free Face Painting
FOOD AND DRINK Vegan food by Alkaline Triangle | Wood fired pizzas by J&B’s | Coffee by Cafécito | Craft beer by Bermuda Craft Brewing | Hand crafted cocktails and mocktails by Mixyz Bda | Hot chocolate, cotton candy and popcorn by Jazzy Treats
POP UP SHOP Original artworks by Louisa Bermingham and John Gardner | Limited-edition prints by Graham Foster and Meredith Andrews | Curated selection of arts and craft vendors.
Join us on December 11 to celebrate 100 years of art!
The City Art Fest takes place at City Hall & Arts Centre, Church Street, Hamilton, on Sunday, December 11, from 12pm to 5pm. Free admission. Free parking at City Hall carpark.
Call for Volunteers
If you are keen to support the Bermuda National Gallery and the Bermuda Society of Arts and are able to spare a couple of hours on Sunday, December 11 we’d love your help at the City Art Fest!
There are lots of opportunities, including:
Decorating City Hall & Arts Centre
Welcome/Wayfinding
Assisting with workshop activities
Supporting arts & craft vendors
Promoting the festival via marketing and flyer distribution
