The last Biennial was in 2017. Therefore, there was — as one can expect — quite a buzz when the National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) announced the opening of this year’s Kingston Biennial, on Sunday, June 26. The gallery’s flagship art event, curated by professor David Scott, Nicole Smythe-Johnson, Wayne Modest, and O’Neil Lawrence, exhibits work from 24 Jamaican-born or of Jamaican heritage artists who were invited to focus on the thematic notion of “Pressure”.

Lawrence, the NGJ’s Chief Curator, outlined that this type of contemporary art exhibition is meant to produce change. “While the realities of the [novel coronavirus] pandemic have adjusted timelines and artistic focus, the theme seemed particularly prescient. The world has been under pressure. Alongside disruptions and traumas, the recalibrations and the pivoting, there has also been an opportunity for a new era of collective self-reflexivity and a desire to focus on what really matters.”

The opening ceremony that took place before the tour of the exhibition attracted notables like Chen Daojiang, the newly appointed ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica; President of the Senate and Chairman of the NGJ Board Tom Tavares-Finson as well as Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange.

In her Keynote address, Minister Grange announced that this year’s Kingston Biennial will officially be a part of the observances under the Jamaica 60 celebrations with the theme, ‘Reigniting a Nation for Greatness’. She also spoke to the excellence of art on display. “This exhibition was renamed the Kingston Biennial partially in recognition of the role that this city and this exhibition play as a point of convergence for excellence in the visual arts from both locally based artists and Jamaicans in the Diaspora. Joining the local cohort of artists are artists based in the United States, Trinidad, the United Kingdom and Australia. The many unique ways in which the exhibition’s theme of ‘pressure’ can be interpreted and expressed can be seen in the exhibition. We anticipate that the visitorship of the gallery will also be revitalised by how relatable this very Jamaican idiom is to all Jamaicans both here and abroad.”

The Kingston Biennial, which will run until December 31, 2022, is ambitious, both in its scale and volume of works. Of particular note is that the Biennial is relatable and worthy of several visits.

Wednesday Social shares highlights.