Barbadian art historian and member of the Fresh Milk Team, Natalie McGuire, wrote an article for the AICA Caraïbe du Sud online blog discussing gender representation in the Caribbean. The piece highlights the work of Fresh Milk’s resident artist from October-December 2012, Alberta Whittle, and Barbadian artist Ewan Atkinson.
Click here to read the full article!
Video shot and edited by Sammy Davis
FRESH MILK X was held this past Sunday, February 3rd 2013, featuring our most recent resident artist, Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe showcasing her new film created during her residency, with a guest performance by Yardie Boy Theatre’s Kupakwashe and actor/director Russell Watson.
Malaika’s film titled ‘Off Track, Moving Forward,’ was a collaboration with Barbadian actor and Managing Director of Mustardseed Productions Varia Williams, and delves into the whirlwind of non-stop thoughts that everyone copes with in daily life, and the possibilities of allowing ourselves to just ‘be’:
Within the context of a global culture of “progress,” this video piece (4:30 sec) poses questions about our internal landscapes, as we navigate this rushing stream of forward motion. In the midst of it all, we often find ourselves spinning in whirlpools of our own thinking: caught up in our past experiences and our potential future ones. What are the repercussions of denying ourselves the opportunity to cultivate a sense of completeness? How do we find satisfaction within the smallest moment, before running off on a trail of other thoughts?
We are ‘doing’ all the time, often even when we think we are not. We are constantly consuming materials, ideas, other people and their perceptions, with a skilful ease. So ‘connected’ that it becomes easy to confuse solitude with loneliness or boredom. Even in the company of others we often fall under the deadening weight of our doubts, fear and anxiety. We keep ourselves occupied, thinking, but as we feel the familiar murkiness of negativity, what happens when we allow ourselves to pause, become aware and just sit with whatever arises… What are the possibilities then? – Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe
Yardie Boy Theatre presented an excerpt from the play ‘Prisoner,’ also written by Kupakwashe:
Set in prison, John a convicted murderer is on death row being guarded by his older and unforgiving brother Winslow. A 25 minute play full of intensity, graphic in nature and volatile in words. Prisoner is a socio-political play that rides on the themes of ‘big brother is watching’ and ‘being a brother’s keeper.’
There were Q&A sessions held with all of the evening’s participants. As always, it was a pleasure for Fresh Milk to make new connections, and we will miss having Malaika’s presence and energy in the studio – but FRESH MILK X provided a fitting send off!
All Photographs © Dondré Trotman http://www.dondretrotman.com/
FRESH MILK was privileged to have visiting curator and art history professor from Rutgers University Tatiana Flores on the platform on Sunday August 19th, holding two seminars on Latin American Art from the 1990s – Present.
FRESH MILK is happy to be supporting our first off-site performance artist in residence, Shanika Grimes. Shanika is a 2012 graduate of the Barbados Community College’s BFA Fine Art Programme. She is keen to develop her work as a Performance Artist, and because there is little happening here in that field, we would like to offer her a critical space to support her continued development in this area.
Shanika is working to produce one performance every month over a six month period, and will be receiving feedback from an esteemed review panel, using their guidance to further her practice and build a solid body of work. The panel consists of Barbadian artist Ewan Atkinson, curator and art history professor from Rutgers University Tatiana Flores, Trinidadian artist Michelle Isava, and Venezuelan artist Sandra Vivas, all of whom have extensive experience either critically or practically with performance art.
Below are some still shots from the first two performances of her residency.
Shanika Grimes’ Artist Statement:
The stories of other women have become a part of my understanding of the
world; they fuse with my experience, creating a hybrid that seeks to outline the
struggles of womanhood physically and emotionally. For a long time my work
was best articulated in any two dimensional format (printmaking, drawing and
painting); however as of late, it has evolved into the use of my own body and
personality as tools of expression, documented through photography, video and
at times poetry. Through the act of performing, I am able to use personal
inflection as a lens for pieces on gender relations. I enjoy questioning the
categorisation of women from a social standpoint through portraits of women with
animal characteristics. I splice the complex personality of a woman, with the
physical and behavioral characteristics of an instinctive animal. This is done to
outline the absurdity of the unrealistic expectations patriarchal society places on
women. I believe that religion and the law have been manipulated through male
dominance to suppress and ultimately control women. I have begun my
exploration using the multilayered personality of a cat. A black cat symbolizes
both good and evil, both god and demon. It is this duality that outlines the power
and powerlessness and mystery of womanhood.
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