A journey of divine proportions

Taino Heritage by Norma Rodney-Harrack

Taking a cue from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once said, “Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” ’Tis a journey embracing the supreme being in its forms and manifestations.

A mosaic of multicultural entities, Jamaica is home to as many denominations and beliefs, some potently evident, others subtle ­ like a spice mix, which exudes aromas and flavours of the island.

‘Explorations II: Religion and Spirituality’ seeks to explore those diversities, laying before creative conversations, expressions and interpretations of the two entities that are sacredly intertwined.

“The series explores major themes in Jamaican art, and in the National Art Collection,” informed O’Neil Lawrence, senior curator at the National Gallery of Jamaica. “It aims to engage, in new, more exploratory ways with the artistic and cultural history of Jamaica.”

Ancestral interpretations...Drum, mix media work by Clinton Brown

Lawrence explained that the exhibits, comprising 67 works from the National Gallery’s collection, examines the themes of religion and spirituality in Jamaican art. “This (the exhibition) is a testimony to the central and pervasive role of religion and spirituality in almost all aspects of Jamaican history and life and, consequently, in Jamaican art,” he said.

The journey, passing though six phases, transitions and overlaps the central theme, incorporated in the artefacts displayed. ‘A Chapter a Day’, the first theme, explores the central role of the Bible in Jamaican life.

“The saying ‘a chapter a day keeps the devil away’, which also gives a broader message that the Bible is not just a domain of Christianity, but extends to the Rastafari culture as well,” Lawrence said.

This theme, which include various works that illustrate biblical scenes and personalities, has Osmond Watson’s ‘The Lawd is my Shepherd’ as the focal point, showcasing a vendor with a Bible on her lap.

Transitioning to the second theme, ‘Ancestral Memories’, which looks at how Jamaican art envisages and captures the ancestral religious and mystical practices. These comprise ceramic objects, cave pictographs and archeological finds.

Carving and asserting the national and ethnic identity, challenging and questioning the colonial representations encapsulate the third theme, ‘In Our Own Image’. The works here explore and pay special attention to the representation of the Black Christ. This transcends to ‘Spiritual Warriors’, the fourth theme that examines the use of religion and spirituality in resistance and liberation movements, especially during the colonial period.

Spiritual Warriors ... Paul Bogle by Mallica 'Kapo' Reynolds

The works epitomise and glorify the country’s freedom movement and the people who played a pivotal role in Jamaica becoming a sovereign nation.

The artistic journey continues to ‘Prayer and Ritual’, which showcases the artistic representation of prayer and ritual practice. “This theme,” Lawrence explained, “also considers the boundaries between ritual object and work of art.”

Saying prayers ... Instrument for four people by Everald Brown

The voyage concludes where the manifestation of ‘Death and Life Beyond’ are delved into in the sixth and final theme. This looks at the representation of death, resurrection and the afterlife in Jamaican art.

This exhibition, through its works, reflects, challenges, evokes, and provokes the visitors’ thought process, leaving them to draw inferences and maybe even agree with Mahatma Gandhi when he said, “God has no religion”.