A picture is worth a thousand words; Fragments of Epic Memory Exhibit captures the story of our Caribbean Experiences

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“The story of the Caribbean, the diaspora and its artists aren’t one story, but a range of histories, media, voices and lived experiences, best understood through the interplay of them all,” Julie Crooks (Curator, Arts of Global Africa, and the Diaspora)

As I stood there staring at this large black and white photo, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity. I didn’t know anyone in the photo, notably because it was a historical piece from a time before my existence.

As the faces in the photo stared back at me, I was stirred by the idea of joining with friends and family members, sleeping peacefully, immersing myself in books, and enjoying myself at an event. For a moment, I was released from the stresses and demands of my contemporary, multitasking, forever-busy lifestyle, and I returned to a state of simplicity, clearness of mind, and presence in the moment. The visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario had turned into an intrinsic spiritual need, one that I did not realize that I had.

Toronto Caribbean Newspaper was invited to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) to witness the unveiling of their major new exhibition Fragments of Epic Memory. It features a selection of images from the AGO’s celebrated Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs, alongside new and celebrated works by modern and contemporary artists of Caribbean descent.

Inspired by the writing of post-war Caribbean writers and poets such as: Derek Walcott, and Kamau Braithwaite, the exhibition is creatively chronological, charting the post-emancipation period and highlighting the arrival of commercial photography to the Caribbean in the 1840s. Designed as an immersive encounter with the region, its artistic imagination, history and landscape, the exhibition features: paintings, sculpture, photographs and time-based media by a group of remarkable creatives, each uniquely gifted with the ability to tell a story. Curated by Julie Crooks, it is the first exhibition to be organized by the AGO’s new Department of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora, which is also headed by Julie.

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.” Peter Adams

I was privileged to be given an exclusive tour by Julie, and as she walked me through the exhibit, I was introduced to artworks by Guyanese-born painters: Sir Frank Bowling and Aubrey Williams. Bowling’s monumental painting Middle Passage (1970), on loan from the National Gallery of Canada, situates faint map drawings of Africa and the Americas atop a sea of yellow and red paint, reminiscent of the Guyanese flag. Williams’ work combined abstraction and the iconography of the Carib (Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean) in his painting Carib Form (1962).

I learned that the Collection’s 3,500 images highlight the work of a range of mainly European and American photographers who were drawn to the region. These photos shed light on the monumental changes taking place in the Caribbean during the latter part of the 19^th century. They are literally a visual archive of the colonial legacies inherited by modern and contemporary artists and their descendants.

More than thirty artists are represented in the exhibition. There are photographs by Vanley Burke and Robert Charlotte, paintings by Leasho Johnson and multi-media works by Suchitra Mattai and Andrea Chung. Combining digital animation and found photographs, Trinidadian artist Rodell Warner’s captured through the colonial lens, an intervention in the representation of these people and places. Adjacent to these, Ebony Patterson’s multi-channel video installation and recent AGO acquisition three kings weep…. (2018), unfolds its slow and monumental reflection on performances of black masculinities.

If one was viewing this catalogue in the traditional standards of visual design and concept, the photographs ranged from acceptable to excellent composition, with some portraying simplistic ideas (women sitting together, straight-faced, staring at the camera), and others depicted puzzling and even bizarre scenes.

I really enjoyed Paul Anthony Smith’s Untitled, 7 Women (2019) on loan from the Hott Collection. He employs a unique technique called ‘picotage’, obscuring his subjects with textural geometric patterns that mimic ornate Caribbean architectural elements.

There is another art piece that I believe was simply called “The Bullet.” This is one of those pieces that you have to see to believe. I sat there staring at it for about ten minutes. After a while, people began to fill in behind me, caught up in a dynamic piece. I was amazed by the creativity of the artist, and how he was able to create something that held an audience’s attention.

The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs was in part donated by Patrick Montgomery, and in part purchased by the AGO with funds from: Dr. Liza & Dr. Frederick Murrell, Bruce Croxon & Debra Thier, Wes Hall & Kingsdale Advisors, Cindy & Shon Barnett, Donette Chin-Loy Chang, Kamala-Jean Gopie, Phil Lind & Ellen Roland, Martin Doc McKinney, Francilla Charles, Ray & Georgina Williams, Thaine & Bianca Carter, Charmaine Crooks, Nathaniel Crooks, Andrew Garrett & Dr. Belinda Longe, Neil L. Le Grand, Michael Lewis, Dr. Kenneth Montague & Sarah Aranha, Lenny & Julia Mortimore, and the Ferrotype Collective, 2019.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, the AGO has a ton of pictures, all that tell a story of the Caribbean’s past, our descendants, and the lives they once lived. The exhibit is open until February 21^st, 2022; it is a perfect Saturday outing, and would be a great exhibit for children during Black History Month. Now, all you have to do is plan it.