Father Knowledge Mother Tongue OPENS NEXT THURSDAY!

Doongalik Studios announces their final Exhibition for the year, Father Knowledge, Mother Tongue, a contemporary art show by Angelika Wallace-Whitfield which will open on Thursday December 5 from 6-9pm.

Slated to be an interesting glimpse into her life’s journey, this vibrant 20-year old Bahamian artist spoke in depth about her experiences whilst preparing for Father knowledge, Mother Tongue. She reflected that the title “came about during the production of the art pieces for this show. The process was one that allowed me to explore myself as a mixed raced Bahamian-Jamaican who was raised in a broken family, and to delve into my own social and self-perception. “I have always been interested in exploring contemporary reality, as well as the subconscious and social identity of individuals and how they interact. Our perception of ourselves can be identical or the opposite of the perception we give to others. Within the contents of the show, I have attempted to reveal the concealment of certain identity issues to create a confrontation of these issues that we tend to ignore.

“The first gesture, instinctive and simple is what interests me more than painting an intricate detail. My ‘style’ has moved from picturesque to instinctive and fluid, and I have been able to find a release within my work. This development has allowed me to take the realistic and abstract it, placing it next to another object or in another position to change its meaning. “Working large will always be my first love. It allows the viewer to appreciate the image from a distance but as they move closer, the image distorts and leaves room for further interpretation. 

As an artist, limitations are death to creativity and by breaking down these barriers - creation, invention, and beauty are born. “I always remind myself to stay malleable. The creative learning process never ends. When working on my pieces, I know they’re done when they aren’t done. I love the concept of process, and showing process through my work. By leaving my work undone, I leave it vulnerable and open for my audience’s imagination to engage in my work.”

Angelika has lived between The Bahamas and the United Kingdom. She has been immersed in art from early childhood, first by her mother and then by Sue Bennett-Williams, who, along with others have been strong inspirations for the concepts behind her work. Totally immersing herself in the local art scene, Angelika is also exhibiting in a collaborative show, “New New” at Popop Studios which opened last week, as well as displaying work at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas as a part of the ASMAC 20 year Student Exhibition mounted by Sue Bennett-Williams.

BahamaScape Opens Tuesday, November 12th!

Doongalik Studios announces the Opening of “BahamaScape” a collaborative show of photographs by Rashad Penn, Shane Pinder and Guilden Gilbert on Tuesday November 12 from 6-9pm. As the name implies, this exhibition focuses on The Bahamas and the many wonderful ‘Scapes’ (landscapes and seascapes) that can be found throughout the islands.

Each of the artists is passionate about photography – they all participate in a very active facebook group called ‘Photographers of The Bahamas’ (POTB) that was created by Rashad Penn. Three members of the group - Rashad, Jeff Major, and Guilden - initially got together after a group photo-walk. The photographers discovered that they had very similar photography interests so, for safety reasons, they decided to get together to shoot on a regular basis following this first photo-walk, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history!

Shane was invited by Guilden to become a member of POTB after he presented some of his work, and he eagerly accepted. The group has spent many hours shooting together and presenting their work to each other for critiques, input and advice. Their ease and familiarity with one another has reached the point where sometimes it appears that they think alike. In fact some of their images were so similar that during the selection process for the show, they had to remove photos which seemed to be duplicates of another’s work which led them to ponder which attributes could have led to such conditions -”Great minds think alike” or “Fools seldom differ”!

“The public can look forward to an amazing selection of breathtaking ‘Scapes’ captured in film and presented in both traditional, and not so traditional ways,” stated Gallery owner, Pam Burnside. “This is the first time that the POTB Group has held an Exhibition, and I am pleased to provide the opportunity for them to show their work. In the mad rush and haste of modern life, we often take Nature for granted. This Show, I think, will allow us to take a moment to stop and appreciate the exquisite beauty that surrounds us 24/7!”

As an added benefit to the Exhibition, the photographers will be donating part proceeds of their sales to the Children’s Emergency Hostel and Great Commission Ministries International during this season of giving. Patrons who purchase art work will not only obtain beautiful photographs but will also be contributing towards these noteworthy charities.

“BahamaScape” will be on display until Tuesday, November 26. For more information contact the Gallery at 394-1886 or visit our facebook page, here!

ACE 2013: My Flamboyant Teacup & Bowl OPENS THURSDAY!

 

 

 

'My Flamboyant Teacup and Bowl’ is the theme of ACE 2013, the third biennial All Ceramic Exhibition. As with the two previous shows in the series, ACE 2013 will feature the art of a number of highly creative Bahamians.

A thematic spin off from ACE 2011, which showed that utilitarian objects, such as teapots could become high art in the hands of the truly creative, this year’s event promises to be even more exciting. It will feature the work of a diverse group of thirteen talents, including Anina Banks, Sue Bennett-Williams, Jessica Colebrooke (event organiser), Lisa Cordella, Mary Deveaux, Gina Luree, Tina Maycock, Vincent McWeeny, Neko Meicholas, Jeffrey Meris, Quentin Minnis, Nadine Munroe and Imogene Walkine.

The All Ceramic Exhibition was founded in 2009 by well-known Bahamian ceramicist Jessica Colebrooke who felt that ceramics in the Bahamas was not getting the attention that it deserved as a beautiful fine art form. She decided to create an event that would help to raise its public profile.

Apart from my desire to develop in the Bahamas an appreciation for the beauty and artistic merit of ceramics, I also wanted to work towards ensuring the sustainability of the art form in our country. This can only happen if we encourage younger Bahamians to become ceramic artists, so a scholarship award became an essential part of ACE,” said Ms Colebrooke.

Since its inception the All Ceramic Exhibition has been able to give two scholarships. The first was awarded to Alistair Stevenson who has now gone off to China to continue his studies and the second award went to Jovana Sands,” said Ms Colebrooke.

The ceramicist added that although teacups and bowls may seem to be extremely utilitarian products, the goal of ACE is to demonstrate that they can be so much more. “We hope to raise a plain everyday item to the level of fine art collectable” said Ms Colebrooke.“The key word flamboyant is basically the artists’ license to raise the production of the mundane teacup and bowl to the level of fine art. We challenged these artists to take their designs to wherever their imaginations led them,” she said.

We would like thank our sponsors: DanBrad Ltd; Dawn Davies; The D’Aguilar Art Foundation; Neko and Patricia Meicholas and Jessica’s Tileworks Studio Ltd for their ongoing support of the All Ceramic Exhibition.

The opening reception of ACE 2013 will be held at Doongalik Studios on October 24, 2013 at 6:30pm. The exhibition will continue until November 9. The general public is invited to come and view the pieces during normal business hours from Monday to Friday.

THE DGLK FARMERS' MARKET RETURNS SATURDAY!

We hope that you have been enjoying the end of summer!  We're happy to finally announce the new start date for the Doongalik Farmers' Market!  We'd like to start the new market season on September 28th, and hope that you will be able to join us! 

The Sew 'n' Sew Quilters

Doongalik Studios announces the Opening of an Exhibition of Quilts by the Sew ‘n’ Sew Quilters on Tuesday, October 8 from 6-9 pm.

The Sew ‘n’ Sew Quilters are a group of ladies from diverse backgrounds who meet on a weekly basis to share their ideas and skills in the “art” of quilting as well as to get together and socialize – which was the purpose of quilting circles when they were first formed by ladies, particularly in the island communities, whose husbands were out at sea for long periods of time.

The ladies work independently on their own quilt projects within the group. Sometimes they have formal lessons, but more often they spend their time helping each other with a project, whether pertaining to a quilt or assisting with a particular charity event. At their meetings, books, movies and news are discussed, jokes are told and treats are shared – the purpose is to have a relaxing and pleasant time together.

“Quilting in The Bahamas has become popular once again,” stated Doongalik Manager, Pam Burnside, “and I am happy to see this form of communal activity returning to the country as we can certainly use more of it. The quilting community is also becoming more integrated into the ‘fine art scene’ and I think that it is important to embrace and showcase those persons who produce high quality work. There is no need for there to be a separation between ‘fine art’ and ‘folk art’ because we can all benefit from our creative talents if we focus on excellence.”

President of the group, Margaret Finlayson stated, “Many of us have been quilting for more than 20 years while others are just beginning, but collectively we are proud to be able to show our work at Doongalik Studios.”

The Exhibition will be open to the public until Saturday, October 19. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday from 10am – 4pm and on Saturdays from 9am – 1pm. For further information please contact the gallery at doongalikart@batelnet.bs

This Back-To-School Season, Doongalik Studios Art Gallery and The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas will each adopt a government high school in their community and bolster their art programs by providing much needed supplies to their students.

Artist materials are expensive and many students cannot afford even the most basic supplies.  We are therefore encouraging the community to donate unopened/gently used art supplies (i.e. sketch paper, pencils, charcoal, paint, brushes etc.) during the month of August. Materials can be dropped off at either gallery location and 100% of the supplies will go directly to the art departments and fuel the creative expression of young Bahamian artists.

Help put a paint brush or pencil in the hands of an art student.  Help us drive the dream.

For more information, please contact Orchid Burnside at 394.1886 or Jordia Benjamin at 328.5800.

EMBLEMATIC OPENS TONIGHT!

Please join Doongalik Studios Art Gallery tonight for the opening of "EMBLEMATIC," a celebration of 40 years of Bahamian Independence.  All works will feature one of the Bahamian National Symbols - the lignum vitae, the yellow elder, the flamingo, the blue marlin, or the flag.

The Artists featured in tonight's show are:


John Beadle 
Dionne Benjamin-Smith
Chantal Bethel
Dede Brown
Jackson Burnside III
Eric Ellis
Amos Ferguson
Del Foxton
Brent Malone
Paulette Mortimer
Livingstone Pratt
Antonius Roberts
Kim Smith
Alistair Stevenson
Tavares Strachan
Dorman Stubbs
Harl Taylor Bags
Rembrandt Taylor
Elyse White

We hope that you can join us!  7.25.13. #20 Village Road. 6pm - 9pm.

For more information, please view the article in The Nassau Guardian here or The Bahamian Art & Culture Newsletter here!