A Poetic Response

I Am Because You Are

One of the most impactful exhibitions of 2021 was I Am Because You Are, the first solo exhibition by Gherdai Hassell, held at BNG from March through to September. In this striking exhibition, the former Bermuda Biennial artist examined the lasting impacts of slavery: re-imagining the identities of enslaved Bermudians in a series of portraits, texts, and installation inspired by the Bermuda Slave Registers and historic photographs in the Bermuda Archives.

To celebrate the close of the exhibition, and its connection with the community, we invited seven local poets to write original works in response to the exhibition. The resulting film, produced by Method Media for the Bermuda National Gallery in partnership with the Department of Culture, presents these works performed in the space that inspired them. 

Click the image below to watch performances by Alan C. Smith (pictured above left), Andrea Ottley (pictured above right), Daliah Gibbs, Tonya Ottley Peets, Matthew Johnston, Tona Symonds and Gherdai Hassell.