A performer in Charles Campbell's "Actor Boy: Fractal Engagement" has a starring role in this image of a surprise street performance in an urban center in Jamaica. Camobell, a Jamaican artist, will be featured in EN MAS' along with eight other artists including Bahamian John Beadle. (Photo: Marvin Bartley)

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) is pleased to announce the official opening of its three newest exhibitions: EN MAS': Carnival, Junkanoo and Performance Art of the Caribbean; Genesis: The beginning of souls in time; and From Columbus to Junkanoo.

EN MAS': Carnival, Junkanoo and Performance Art of the Caribbean
Traveling to The Bahamas from New Orleans and the Cayman Islands, EN MAS': Carnival, Junkanoo and Performance Art of the Caribbean explores the influence that street festivals like Junkanoo can have on visual art. EN MAS' features nine artists from across the region and internationally, including Bahamian John Beadle.

The exhibition is particularly appropriate in The Bahamas, where the division between visual artists and Junkanoo has become blurred by the partnerships forged by artists like John Beadle; Stan Burnside and his late brother, Jackson; and the late Brent Malone, among many others.

The NAGB hopes that visitors will engage in discussion on the historic and social significance of "mas", which has inherited elements of traditional African festivals, Christian celebrations and European masquerade parties.

Genesis: The beginning of souls in time
In the project space at the NAGB will be Livingston Pratt's Genesis: The Beginning of Souls in Time. Pratt is a completely self-taught artist and trained designer whose visual art practice is influenced heavily by his spirituality and religious beliefs.

From Columbus to Junkanoo
The new permanent exhibition will be From Columbus to Junkanoo, a show curated by emerging curators Jodi Minnis and Averia Wright. Showcasing a collection of contemporary and historic artworks, From Columbus to Junkanoo guides viewers through a timeline of the country's historical and social evolution.

All members of the public are invited to attend the official opening ceremony from 6:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m., this Thursday, April 28 at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Parking is available on-site and across the street at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian