It only takes seeing a few Dave Smith works to understand why he's considered one of the country's most respected artists.
Smith was born in the U.K., where he studied art before moving to The Bahamas in 1973. While here, he taught art and began creating photo-realist and neo-pop works. He left The Bahamas in 1990 for Los Angeles, where he worked as a billboard artist and TV and cinema scenic artist. He has continued to return home over the years to host shows and respond to socio-political events.

Incorporating bold, attention-grabbing colors, Smith's work draws the viewer into a critical and often satirical space, to examine The Bahamas' social and political issues. Juxtaposing everyday and inner city landscapes with idyllic imagery of The Bahamas as a paradise, Smith confronts the varying perspectives of life in The Bahamas. The country, which currently faces educational, unemployment and crime crises, still repeats a "sun, sand and sea" mantra in promotion of its tourism industry.

"My work has always dealt with current social issues - mostly through irony rather than being judgmental. They reflect my take on this world - more specifically on this particular part of the world, at this particular time," explained Smith.

Of late, the industry has faced criticism in academic and socio-cultural circles for its impact on Bahamian identity. One of its most recent critics is Dr. Angelique V. Nixon, who launched her book, "Resisting Paradise: Tourism, Diaspora and Sexuality in Caribbean Culture", yesterday at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas.

For years, though, Smith has been examining the influence of foreign investment and tourism - particularly from the U.S. - on this small island nation. While he lives in California now, he visits his family regularly with his camera in tow. His most recent trip has been a particularly special one for him. Smith opened a solo show at the D'Aguilar Art Foundation on Thursday, November 19.

Titled Headlines, the exhibition features a new body of paintings that continue to examine the spectrum of realities in The Bahamas. Incorporating old and new media and subject matter, the works again confront the complexity of consumerism and foreign super power influence. His last solo show was held in 2011 at the Central Bank Gallery. He was considering the possibility of another show in Nassau in 2014, when Tessa Whitehead, curator of the D'Aguilar Art Foundation, contacted him.

"I prodigiously photographed The Bahamas during the time I was here, and I still quite often refer to those images," Smith said. "I invariably collect new material to work with each time I visit. And particularly for this show, Nassau's daily newspapers have provided a lot of context."

Headlines features 10 paintings and six photo collages - work Smith created in the past three years. In some pieces, he pairs crime scenes with commonly marketed products and locales, encouraging his audience to reconsider the everyday. He hopes, too, that beyond the serious imagery, onlookers also reflect on the simple pleasures afforded by living in The Bahamas that are so often taken for granted.

"Many years ago, Brent Malone, in writing about my work, said, 'And then there is that calypso upbeat, full of rhythm - a song and dance in every brushstroke, and blue skies too - always shifting and changing on a breeze'. At the end of the day, that's all I want my paintings to be."

Headlines will be on display at the D'Aguilar Art Foundation until January 7, 2016. The foundation is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays or by appointment.

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