"Independence of the mind, Cultural Independence, is a pre-requisite necessary to other independences: political, economic and social…” Leopold Sedar Sengor

At this Bicentennial Global Dialogue on the Slave trade & Social Justice, the artists seek to exploit a rare and long over-due opportunity, to celebrate the “Sovereignty Of The Black-Creative-Imagination”! We reach towards this much-anticipated moment with the noble expectation of impacting and re-shaping the visual-space of the black-diaspora – to re-invent meanings, and re-define parameters & possibilities.

It is to the credit of the Directors, and indeed an act of heightened sensibility, that on this occasion, the visual (plastic arts) arts can be regarded as a potentially potent (sometimes subversive) instrument in the revolutionary process of self-liberation! We are encouraged by the gracious gesture of the Organizing Committee in acknowledgement of the “visual-arts” deserved equity, in terms of accommodation, space and visibility……so that the fires of the imagination could ignite our dormant senses and reveal the hidden path to our ancestral-memories, through form, image & idea!

It is therefore important, that the plastic-arts should no longer be regarded as mere decoration or “back-drop” to other disciplines, but instead, be the catalyst in these celebrations of the indomitable “Spirit”! This Conference's format will provide for dynamic verbal/visual dialogue, resulting from the convergence of diverse talents across the diaspora & Africa , into one saturated space; and when compounded with shared differences and realized similarities, should offer a fertile substrate for the incubation and re-generation of creative ideas & methods.

Finally, we hope that this generous experience “gifts” us with the realization that, “the true voyage of discovery, is not in seeking ‘NEW LANDSCAPES', but in finding ‘NEW EYES'.”

The exhibition will comprise of 14 artists in total; nine (9) of whom are Barbadian and five (5) International, representing several African States and Jamaica respectively.

Photo Gallery