FRESH MILK XVI Video

June 30, 2014May 21, 2015Leave a comment

Check out our video from FRESH MILK XVI, the Barbados book launch for Robert & Christopher Publishers‘ (R&C) latest title, See Mere Here: A Survey of Contemporary Self-Portraits from the Caribbean, edited by Melanie Archer and Mariel Brown.

The event presented a small exhibition and panel discussion with the Barbadian artists featured in the publication – Ewan Atkinson, Annalee Davis, Joscelyn Gardner and Sheena Rose – and editor Melanie Archer, moderated by Barbadian artist Russell Watson.

Thanks to Sammy Davis for shooting and editing this video!

Validity and Visibility – See Me Here #CCF

June 26, 2014May 21, 2015Leave a comment

There is an undeniable relationship between validity and visibility. As quietly confident, assured or competent as one can be, there is something about gaining recognition that feeds the feeling of being appreciated and understood – of being seen. I already feel slightly uneasy and egotistical trying to articulate this in a way that doesn’t trigger little accusatory voices in the back of my mind hissing ‘vain!’ or ‘insecure!’…concepts that by all logic should be mutually exclusive, but the idea of needing validation from external sources manages to connote both. Maybe a less self-destructive approach is to delve into something relevant to, yet larger than myself, through the honest and brave work of the artists featured in See Me Here: A Survey of Contemporary Self-Portraits from the Caribbean.

The above excerpt is from Katherine Kennedy’s review of See Me Here: A Survey of Contemporary Self-Portraits from the Caribbean, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews every week, look out for our #CCF Weekly posts and see the good reads we have available at Fresh Milk!

Versia Harris selected for IV Moscow Biennial for Young Art

June 20, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Visual artist and member of the Fresh Milk Books editorial team, Versia Harris has been invited to show her work in the IV Moscow Biennial for Young Art at The Museum of Moscow in Russia. The Biennial is titled A TIME FOR DREAMS, is curated by David Elliot and runs from 26 June to 10 August 2014

Versia’s Artist Statement

They say you can dream a thing more than once
Just because you wish for something, doesn’t make it true. Or does it?

I am captivated by the process of viewing fiction and projecting the fictional images into actuality so that it almost seems as if it becomes a part of one’s reality. As such, the narrative in my work generates a comparison between the character’s reality and fantasy, namely Walt Disney animations. It follows the experiences of the character as she continuously imitates or layers what she consumes from Walt Disney films unto her physical self and environment.

At the center of my investigation, stands the theme of self-image. The character is a manifestation of a person both beautiful and flawed aspiring to acquire the perceived superior physical and behavioral attributes of another. I consider the influences on behavior, especially influences through the media, which projects the perfect or acceptable image, and examine the challenges faced when what is desired conflicts with what is. I ultimately question whether one can subconsciously mimic fiction, until what one deems as reality is not as easily distinguishable from fantasy as one would think.

This project revisits two animations ‘A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re awake’ and ‘They say you can dream a thing more than once’. I am re- presenting these animations concurrently, as a five video installation, to further engross the viewer with content and scale. The installation re-frames the narrative to draw new parallels and associations between the two animations.

About Versia Harris

Versia is a Barbadian artist living and working in Weston, St. James. She graduated from the Barbados Community College with a BFA in the Studio Art programme in 2012 and was awarded The Leslie’s Legacy Foundation Award, an annual prize given to the top graduate. In her work, Versia tackles perceptions of fantasy in contrast to the reality of her original character. She uses Adobe Photoshop to manipulate her pen drawings to create the animations.

She participated in her first local residency with Projects and Space in 2011. Within the past year she has completed four residencies, beginning with a local residency at Fresh Milk, followed by her first international residency at the Vermont Studio Center, and two regional residencies at the Instituto Buena Bista, Curacao and Alice Yard, Trinidad in late 2013.

A Lyrical Response to She Who Tells a Story – #CCF Guest Review

June 18, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Newsha Tavakolian, Don’t Forget This Is Not You (for Sahar Lotfi), Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum, 2010.

Like mornings when dew drops hang on the tips of tree leaves, the stories of women hang in the air. They are the precipitation of the spirit; the evidence of its metamorphosis through the pressures of love and hate, peace and war and joy and sorrow. They are the condensation of spirit smashing against spirit under the power of patriarchy.

The above excerpt is from Ria Scott’s lyrical guest review of Kristen Gresh’s She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews every week, look out for our #CCF Weekly and see the good reads we have available at Fresh Milk!

About Ria:

Ria Scott is a former student of the University of the West Indies and the University of Leeds. An avid reader, her writing experience has spanned creative, journalistic and academic spheres. She is passionate about travelling the world and experiencing different cultures. To find out more about Ria, check out her blog riathereal.tumblr.com

Fresh Milk receives a 2014 ResSupport Fellowship

June 13, 2014May 20, 2015Leave a comment

Katherine Kennedy announced as 2014 ResSupport Fellow. Photograph credit: Mark King.

We are very excited to announce that this year, as part of the ResSupport Fellowship programme, ResArtis member Akademie Schloss Solitude (Germany) will be generously hosting Katherine Kennedy, from The Fresh Milk Art Platform (Barbados). This will be Akademie Schloss Solitude’s second time participating in the ResSupport Fellowships.

During her three-month stay from September 1 – December 1, 2014, Katherine will be introduced to the different working areas of Akademie Schloss Solitude and gain insight into how this prestigious residency programme is run. With this opportunity, she will learn about Akademie Schloss Solitude’s management, increasing visibility on a global level, and discuss the ongoing challenges of sustainability within artist residencies. She will also interact with other fellows and artists in residence in order to learn about new practices. Additionally, she will attend fellow and staff presentations, as well as make presentations of her own pertaining to Fresh Milk and the Caribbean creative arena to create a cross-cultural dialogue, which will allow all parties to better understand the contexts that Fresh Milk functions within.

Akademie Schloss Solitude. Photo courtesy of Akademie's press department.

Akademie Schloss Solitude. Photo courtesy of the Akademie’s press department.

We are sure that this fellowship will further initiate exchanges and build relationships within the residency field between the Caribbean and Europe, while also contributing to a more dynamic and sustainable cultural environment throughout the Caribbean.

These fellowship experiences enable participants to observe, reflect and utilize various organizational factors, while assuming an active role and a behind the scenes look at the daily work of an experienced member organisation.

This experience provides an opportunity to further organisational awareness, strengthen bonds, and facilitate knowledge and cross-cultural sharing among members of the ResArtis Network.

See this announcement on ResArtis News.

About Katherine Kennedy:

Katherine Kennedy (Born April 4, 1990, Barbados) is an artist and writer. She graduated from Lancaster University, UK in 2011 with a BA in Creative Arts (First Class Hons.) after winning a Barbados Government Scholarship for tertiary education. Her combined major of Fine Art and Creative Writing developed her keen interests in visual and literary pursuits. She has won awards for her artwork and writing in her home country, and exhibited locally and internationally.

Her visual practice is heavily tied to a sense of place, and often uses interplay between found organic and inorganic objects to assert cultural identity in different environments. Alongside her work as an artist, she is also dedicated to contributing to the support and cultivation of the wider regional creative space, and currently works as the Assistant to Director with both The Fresh Milk Art Platform, an artist-led initiative and residency programme, and ARC Magazine for contemporary Caribbean art.

Katherine travelled to the Instituto Buena Bista (IBB), Curaçao in November 2012 to conduct ‘Creatives in Conversation’, a collaborative project between the IBB and Fresh Milk. She received a full fellowship from the Reed Foundation for a residency at The Vermont Studio Center in May 2013. In September 2013, she took part in ‘fresh casa’, a short, intensive mentorship programme at Casa Tomada, São Paulo, Brazil.

About Akademie Schloss Solitude:

The Akademie Schloss Solitude is a public-law foundation that offers an interdisciplinary and international fellowship program for artists and scientists. Since 1990, the Akademie has supported artists in the disciplines of architecture, visual arts, performing arts, design, literature, music/sound and video/film/new media with residency and work fellowships. Since 2002, young people from the science and business sectors are also eligible for fellowships with the art, science & business program. The Akademie Schloss Solitude is financially supported by the German province of Baden-Württemberg.

About ResArtis:

ResArtis is an association of over 490 centers, organisations, and individuals in over 70 countries. Each of member is dedicated to offering artists, curators, and all manner of creative people the essential time and place away from the pressures and habits of every-day life, an experience framed within a unique geographic and cultural context.

Through Res Artis, organisations will become part of a global community of colleagues engaged in dialogue through face-to-face meetings and virtually through its website. Those interested in attending a residency can use the information and resources on its website, gaining insights into the profiles of members and staying informed about their events and application deadlines.

Since 1993, through the volunteer efforts of the Board of Directors and countless partners and friends, Res Artis has grown to become the largest network of its kind, promoting the role of residential art programs as a vital part of the contemporary arts world, stimulating the creative development and mobility of artists, and furthering intercultural understanding.

“Encounter the world in residencies”