The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands’ latest exhibition celebrates the work of Al Ebanks, one of the leading figures in the development of Caymanian art over the past quarter century.
Gathering together a striking assortment of works, ‘Al Ebanks 33: Remnants of the Artist’ is the latest in a series of exhibitions showcasing members of the influential Native Sons artist collective. The Ebanks exhibit follows on the heels of solo presentations by Horacio Esteban in 2020 and Nasaria Suckoo Chollette in 2022.
The National Gallery, in a press release, stated, “Renowned for his abstract paintings and amorphous sculptures that reference the organic forms of nature and the human form, over the course of his thirty-three-year career Ebanks has produced an iconic body of work that is instantly recognisable for its signature style.
“Working across multiple disciplines, the artist’s prolific output encompasses painting, sculpture, fashion design and performance, blurring the boundaries between different media through an all-embracing approach to creative expression.”
The exhibit, which launched on 24 Feb. and will continue until 18 May, features 33 of his pieces. It is free and open to all.
Ebanks said in the release, “First and foremost I see myself as a Caymanian creative whose role is to share my work, and my interpretation of Cayman’s history and culture, with local audiences. While most of my art appears entirely abstract, each piece tells a story that is connected to one of the thirty-three series that are represented in this exhibition – exploring themes such as childhood memory and nostalgia; the energy and rhythms of carnival, or the inspiration I draw from Cayman’s landscapes and natural environment.”
Referencing the exhibition’s title, the gallery’s director and chief curator, Natalie Urquhart, noted that the wider project was inspired by Ebanks’ own interpretation of his work, having described the paintings and sculptures that line the walls of his studio as the material traces or ‘remnants’ of his life and professional career as an artist.
“For Al, art and life are inextricably linked, co-existing within the shared realm of his lived experience,” she said. “With this exhibition we wanted to highlight the evolution of his prolific practice over 33+ years, while also creating an immersive experience where visitors are literally surrounded and enveloped by the artist’s work”.
Presenting the objects on display as the inter-related parts of this larger body of material, the individual artworks are organised into three groupings that correspond to the exhibition’s three-part structure. Titled ‘Mind’, ‘Body’, and ‘Spirit’ respectively, each group addresses the primary preoccupations of Ebanks’ life and artistic practice.
Urquhart noted, “As a means of drawing out these underlying narratives, this metaphor of the body gives shape and coherence to Ebanks’ ongoing process of creative investigation, revealing the ways in which he has explored recurring subjects throughout his career, while simultaneously forging a path as a creative visionary whose voice is distinctly his own.”
About the artist
Born in George Town, sculptor and painter Al Ebanks was awarded a scholarship from the Cayman National Cultural Foundation in 1995 to study sculpture with renowned Barbadian artist Karl Broodhagen and later learned bronze casting in Tuscany through the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands’ Artists Away grant programme (2004).
He co-founded the Native Sons artists collective in 1996 and was awarded CNCF’s Artistic Achievement Award in 2001.
He has exhibited locally and abroad, including a solo show at the Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami. His exhibitions at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands include the solo show ‘Dancing to Art’ (2004) and numerous group exhibitions, among them ‘Native Sons’ Fahive’ (2005), ‘Native Sons – Twenty Years On’ (2016), ‘Upon the Seas’ (2017), ‘Island of Women: Life at Home During our Maritime Years’ (2020), and ‘Reimagined Futures: 2nd Cayman Islands Biennial’ (2021).
The National Gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. For more information about the exhibition and the related programme of free events, lectures, workshops and tours, email Maia Muttoo, education manager, at [email protected] or visit nationalgallery.org.ky/whats-on.
To see the full programme of events surrounding the Ebanks’ exhibition, click here.
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