Candid conversations

A piece of art is never a finished work. It answers a question, which has been asked, and asks a new question, says American sculptor Robert Engman. As an artist, the creative thought process is never-ending, exploring beyond the unfathomed, exploring off the beaten path and accentuating the society they live in.

Exhibiting their creative acumen, the final year bachelor of fine arts and diploma programme students of the School of the Visual Arts, Edna Manley College, focused the spotlight on the contemporary Jamaican society.

For 33 young artists, some thought-provoking conversations have been etched, queries painted and issues highlighted - from female sexuality and equality, to exploring ethnography or the app-mad world.

The overcast May skies of Kingston and the occasional downpour were not going to be a damper, instead, the rains soaked and enhanced the creative essence of the exhibits.

A walk through the exhibits was a journey, unveiling characters, colours and genres.

The works of these young artists present a wide spectrum of the creative thought processes - shocking, subtle, chaotic and meticulous, each highlighting an issue and raising a query at the same time. As Pablo Picasso said, "Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not."

• Exploring female sexuality

"I am woman and I am liberated," pronounced Sandra Green, whose exhibit in mixed media and sculptures explored female sexuality.

"There is a lot going on here, the whole idea is to bring out the layers in the works," Green said.

The room housing Sandra Green's work is a blend of visual rhetoric of female sexuality, sensuality and sensibility.

Balance the stark with the subtle, vulvas are exhibited from powerful and majestic to ambiguous. "It is explored in the context of a heterosexual space; comforting the heterosexual male onlooker while paying special attention to the appearance of vulvas in terms of size, shape, colour, texture, etc.," Green explained.

The objective, she said, was not to titillate but to delve into feminine symbolism and metaphorical emblems that are both universal and narrow to female existence.

• App-mad world

The way humans are becoming atuned to and, at times, 'enslaved' to technology - some worship at the feet of the almighty mobile phone app.

Converting the room into a modern-day church, Jonoi Messam painted the white walls with caricatures of people in monochrome, some in blue, clutching their smart devices, oblivious to their surroundings. "Social media has become a religion," Messam said. "So I called my exhibit Religion 2.0."

A new media art presentation, Religion 2.0 is interactive - complete with hashtag and linked to an app. "One can scan the room (where the exhibit is housed), and connect to either Facebook or Twitter," Messam informed.

This budding graphic designer said he wants to create awareness about social media and how it has attained 'divine' proportions. "Religion 2.0 is a social commentary on social media. The work attempts to emulate social media in a digital and physical sense using a satiric use of a religious framework," he said.

• 
  

• Beyond a sex symbol

A giant, voluptuous corset stands out in the middle of the room, as Yakeba Walsh attempts to look at females beyond sex objects and recognise them as human beings.

"This body of work was created from my diverse beliefs, ideas and experiences which have propelled me to advocate the rights of women on political, social and economic issues," Walsh said.

On the walls are mounted canvases with silhouettes of the female figurine, with the midriff as a bullseye, some with blood splattered - symbolising pain.

A textiles and fibre arts major, Walsh said she wants to use her works of art to make a statement in support of female equality, independence, success, strength, and enlightenment in Jamaica.

"It is time that people look beyond the 'Coco-Cola' figure," she said.

• 
  

• Street art unlimited

There are a multitude of hues that strike the visitor, who is greeted with zinc walls painted in murals, cheap paint, flour, sugar, and glue strewn on the floor.

Matthew McCarthy's works exude the chaos and characters that are vibrant on the sidewalks and marketplaces, save for the blaring music and push carts trying to outrun each other. "I have always gravitated to street art," he says regarding the inspiration for his work.

"It is important that we recognise and encourage street art," McCarthy said. "It is a rich part of Jamaica's culture and goes beyond the graffiti in the United States."

A literal writing on the wall, McCarthy paints a social commentary, with sketches and paintings of police, onlookers, politicians, street signs, cultural objects, news reports, rum-bar talk, Rastafarians with opinions, young artists and sign painters intertwined. 

The visual communication major is out there to make a mark - literally and figuratively.