A curated exhibition of some 80 works in all media opens this October, as part of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands’ fourth edition of the Cayman Islands Biennial, themed, ‘Archipelago’.
The biennial exhibition, which runs from 2 Oct. 2025- 18 Feb. 2026, features works that were juried from more than 165 submissions, representing “the best submissions from Caymanian artists across all three islands and the Diaspora to showcase the breadth of diversity and creativity in this Caribbean country,” according to a National Gallery press release.
In selecting this curatorial team, National Gallery Director Natalie Urquhart said, “As frequent collaborators in their faculty roles at Kent State University (Ohio, USA), professors Underwood and Ebanks bring a unique blend of curatorial, studio, and art criticism experience to this project.
spaces across Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. – Photo: Supplied
“As co-curators, they are working with our Caymanian artists – locally and abroad – as well as our gallery staff and their curatorial assistants to develop something really dynamic,” Urquhart said.
Inspired by the scattered formation and relative isolation of islands, the release noted the theme Archipelago foregrounds the interplay of the individual and the collective, just as an archipelago is simultaneously a single conglomerate and a chain of several distinct land masses.
It added, “The exhibition will be organised according to multiple subthemes for this interplay of individuals within/against a collective. These include the cultural shift of heritage, memory, and belonging; social dynamics shaped by communication, politics, and technology; and ecological legacies as they pertain to preservation, sustainability, and environmental concerns.”
Co-Curator Joseph L. Underwood told the Compass, there is an incredible amount of technician and conceptual talent in Cayman.
“The artists responded strongly to this biennial’s curatorial theme Archipelago, which analyses how we are simultaneously a collective society … and wholly unique individuals unto ourselves. They’re reflecting on the impact of technology, ecological concerns, where tradition fits in the nation’s future, and many other critical questions.”
‘An artistic time capsule’
As an artist with no formal training, participating artist Stefan Langlois said, “It took me a long time to be confident enough to even show people my work let alone submit it to an exhibition of this scale.”
He said being selected felt like both “a pat on the back and a kick in the behind”.
“The validation feels great, but the opportunity to represent a new generation of Caymanian artists feels greater. My first meeting with the curator started with a question, ‘If you could dream up anything for this exhibition, what would it be?’ And I feel like that kind of sums it up perfectly.”
Another participating artist, Bryony Dixon, said he is proud and grateful to be part of the 4th Biennial, adding, “Working with an international curator whose fresh perspective has pushed me to explore new ways of using analog photography to capture Cayman’s rapid changes in technology, communication, and community. For me, it’s like creating an artistic time capsule, especially with the analog film medium that’s becoming increasingly challenging to use in this day and age.”
The biennial project is sponsored by Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited, with support from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage.
Admission is free to the public. Officials confirmed at the closing ceremony, artists will be selected for the Bendel Hydes and the Emerging Artist awards, with monetary and exhibition development for awardees.
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