‘Caribbean Transitions’ at American University Art Museum

Edouard Duval Carrié, Beasts of Burden, 2021. Aluminum, acrylic, and glitter glue, 8 x 8 ft. 

Courtesy of the artist.

This exhibition explores the character, complexity, and originality of art by Caribbean American artists as they expand the art of the North American continent. The 20 artists in the exhibition are respected internationally, and many are represented in major museums in the United States and abroad. They are painters, printmakers, photographers, video makers, and installation and performance artists. Most of the artists were born in the Caribbean and migrated to the US; some were born in the US to Caribbean parents; others live in the Caribbean and exhibit worldwide. Their histories come from Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and the US.

Pepón Osorio, Lonely Soul, 2008. Wooden crutches, fiberglass, wood, Styrofoam, resin, pins, wheelchair wheels, 106 x 83 x 77 in. Courtesy of the artist.

These artists reveal unique relationships between the Caribbean and the US in ways that expand and enrich a wider understanding of American art and culture. The Caribbean is the historic fulcrum of the cultures of the Americas and the art in this exhibition exemplifies that importance. The themes the artists explore vary greatly, and they were selected for the quality of their work while being mindful of their differences. Some of the artists’ work developed from international challenges they perceived while in the Caribbean, or, in other cases, challenges they realized in Europe and or the US.

Artists: Joiri Minaya, Alejandro Guzmán, Pepón Osorio,Arthur Simms, Albert Chong, Laura Facey, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Miguel Luciano, Paul Anthony Smith, Carlos Estevez, Renluka Maharaj, Ada Bobonis,Nari Ward, Scherezade Garcia, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Juan Sanchez, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Tirzo Matha, José Bedia and Awilda Sterling Duprey.

Nari Ward, Black Sweat, 2019. Shoelaces, shipping barrel, 74 x 44 in. 

Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

Curated by Keith Morrison, “Caribbean Transitions” will be available through August 7, 2022 at the Katzen Arts Center, American University Museum (located at 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC). For more information, call 202-885-1300 or look on the Web at www.american.edu/cas/museum.