Pictures from Paradise (exhibition)

An exhibition of contemporary Caribbean photography at CONTACT, the largest photography festival in the world.

In May 2012, Pictures from Paradise – an art book on contemporary Caribbean photography co-edited by Mariel Brown and me – was released by Robert & Christopher Publishers. Roughly a year later we were contacted by Wedge Curatorial Projects, a Toronto-based, non-profit organisation with a mission to promote black and diasporic identity through art exhibitions. Wedge’s director, Kenneth Montague – an esteemed art collector and curator – had purchased a copy of Pictures from Paradise and wanted to know if Mariel and I were interesting in co-curating an exhibition based on the book as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. We said yes – held yearly in Toronto, CONTACT is the largest photography festival in the world, welcoming some 1.8 million viewers annually, and featuring the work of over 1500 artists from around the world, in more than 175 venues.

The exhibition was organised by CONTACT and Wedge and presented in partnership with Robert & Christopher Publishers and The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery; programming included a panel discussion and exhibition tours. Artists: Ewan Atkinson, Marvin Bartley, Terry Boddie, Holly Bynoe, James Cooper, Renee Cox, Gerard Gaskin, Abigail Hadeed, Gerard Hanson, Nadia Huggins, Marlon James, Roshini Kempadoo, O’Neil Lawrence, Ebony G. Patterson, Radcliffe Roye, Alex Smailes, Stacey Tyrell, and Rodell Warner.

SUMMARY | Role: Co-curator (with Mariel Brown and Kenneth Montague)
Shipping Containers behind the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, May 2014
Exhibition Designer: Richard Mark Rawlins
Installation photos: Toni Hafkenscheid