It is with a happy heart that we announce our latest muse, Dyah Neilson, who is riding the ‘first solo exhibition’ high having just presented at Doongalik Studios earlier this month. This bold, bright collection - ‘Love & Fear’, depicts things perhaps a little less buoyant on our island - the very real battle with mental health. Dyah’s use of beaming, whimsy blues render comforting island scenes drawing the viewer in while a deeper, subliminal message stirs from beneath the waves. The Bahamas is crippled with a stigma surrounding mental heath and so these conversations are often swept out to sea, if you will. The collection is so intentionally approachable, giving mental illness a positive portrayal, something that can be overcome with love and support.

For this interview, we were privileged to visit John Cox in his home studio. In supreme contrast to the uber-hip space that John commands as Art Director of Baha Mar’s The Current (an experiential hub for Bahamian art), Cox’s home studio is somewhat humbling. A cross between the mad scientist’s basement and the rock band’s garage, this is John’s self-confessed “broke down ol’ car” that still takes him on surprisingly long journeys. Time to jump in the backseat and go for a ride. “But watch out,” said John Cox. “There’s no suspension.”

With an eye for feminine emotion a distinctive whimsicalness about her colour scheme, June's latest body of work powerfully captures her desire to tell stories of those around her. June's expressive portrayal of women and their many roles in Bahamian society shed light on bold themes all within the confines of a vibrant but deliberate painting. The hues of Caribbean life flow from one painting to the next as though they all share a deep interconnectedness. With a mindfulness about her, June methodically selects her muse, story and dearest pattern notebook and carves the path for her next masterpiece. The best way to experience this lush and evolving collection is to pay June a visit at her studio perch amongst the artistic backdrop that is The Current and watch her tirelessly create.

If only this, it is our civic duty to value and preserve the rich island antiquity of our composite culture. The arts, deeply intertwined within our strewn archipelago, are a visual continuum of The Bahamas from then until now. Chan Pratt sits prominently on our historical mantle with his iconic botanics and precise clapboard portrayals celebrating the intrinsic vibrance so closely equated with ‘island life’. DC has tasked himself with preserving the legacy of his father through the creation of an organization - The Chan Pratt Foundation. With emphasis on empowerment, DC offers aspiring young artists the chance to recognize their talents and in doing so, overcome the powerlessness and lack of influence that they feel quashed by. With an indomitable spirit, DC is making waves in the art realm, casting his father’s uplifting, iconic summery blooms where needed most.

With a distinctive taste for landscapes, particularly those of the islands, Tessa’s latest work powerfully captures her empirical conception of the complexities of Caribbean life. Tessa’s distinguished collection tellingly titled, “…there are always two deaths”, a line borrowed from ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, is an expressive portrayal of loss and lamenting. Tessa’s work touches on many bold themes including matriarchal identification, alienation and marriage. Her artistic exploration of an intrinsic relationship existing between women and nature is felt deeply. The lush, tropical island backdrop seems like an idyllic landscape for healing; however, with hints of agonizing irony, these tropical inlets are entrenched in a turbulent history which proves a difficult place to search for the warmth of understanding.

To the untrained eye, Lillian Blade’s textured, colorful rebellion may seem like an improvised outburst of creativity. However, Lillian's work goes way deeper than that. Her mixed-media collages capture memories and embody self-discovery while paying homage to her island-roots. With a consciousness about her, Lillian sifts through objects, random to some but symbolic to her, which morph into large-scale assemblages that provoke an intense sense of wonder.

Welcome back to Cacique’s Artist In The Spotlight series - a journey into a thriving Bahamian art scene and a look at some of our most celebrated artists, as well as the movers and shakers garnering a name for themselves on island and around the world. For this episode, I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Bahamian photographer Melissa Alcena, whose honest, arresting documentary photography has captured the attention of the island nation, as well as a not-too-shabby publication by the name of Vogue.