The D'Aguilar Art Foundation (DAF) saw January out with the opening of its most recent exhibition, Self Conscious.
Curated by DAF Curator Tessa Whitehead, Self Conscious comes as the result of discussions between Whitehead and DAF Director Saskia Schutte-D'Aguilar, who sought to explore the balance between representation - that is, symbolic imagery that serves as visual metaphors - and conscious mark making - intentionally and purposefully creating marks and textures in an artwork.

According to Whitehead, the body of work features artists working on the figurative "fringes of the art world". These fringes refer to those cities and centers in the art world which are not solely influenced by a single art movement or trend, but in which an amalgamation of larger art movements is reflected in the locale's visual art community.

"I'm finding that, in The Bahamas and in the Caribbean, there's still the trickle of modernism coming in and slightly influencing the work, and I just found that fascinating," she explained. "I just wanted to put it together to see what it looked like as a whole in terms of the collection."

Each of the pieces in Self Conscious is part of the DAF Collection, with the exception of Morgan McKinney's "Sea Egg", which was selected by Whitehead and Schutte-D'Aguilar for its relevance with the show's other works.

The DAF curator believes visitors will find links between the works, which are "grounded in storytelling and devotional imagery" and involve conscious marks revealing the Modernist movement's heavy influence. It is that influence that stretched - quite literally - across oceans to draw works from Australia, Yugoslavia and Zimbabwe into a network that includes pieces from Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Works such as Ras Ishi Butcher's 'Barbs and Thorns' and Joelle De Lam's 'Traditions and Peace' characterize this practice with a rhythmic balance, variations of intuitive but slow visible brushstrokes and a contemplative composition. Simultaneously the works draw from familiar and biblical motifs; De Lam's work references the strong and central Mother Earth figure, and Butcher's work the Crown of Thorns, giving the audience keys into a larger collective narrative and cultural story," writes Whitehead of the exhibition.

She hopes that the noticeable narratives running throughout Self Conscious will prompt visitors to explore the historical, social and artistic connections between the communities that are represented.

"I love the fact that somebody in Australia can be working on the same kind of mark making that somebody in Haiti could be," said Whitehead. "So it's fascinating.

"I love that, even though it's a relatively small collection, there are these strong themes throughout it. I think it's important to see works that relate to each other, because it helps you to understand the context. My aim in putting together exhibitions is to focus on that, and I hope that people find the connections interesting and educational and a point of conversation."

Self Conscious will be on display at the D'Aguilar Art Foundation until March 9, 2015. Visiting hours at the DAF are 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays or by prior arrangement.

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