BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The creatively provocative Barbadian artist Annalee Davis, who has exhibited her work throughout the Caribbean and abroad for more than 20 years, will curate the first ever art exhibition for the venerable Caribbean Studies Association Annual Conference which takes place in Barbados from May 24 to 28, 2010.
The theme for the highly anticipated conference, featuring 500 to 600 scholars, activists, artists and writers from the Caribbean and the Diaspora, will be “Understanding the Everyday Occurrence of Violence in the Cultural Life of the Caribbean: Where Do We Go from Here?”
Barbadian artist Annalee Davis
Davis, who holds Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees from US colleges, will not only have a stewardship role over the exhibition, she will also participate in panel discussions contributing to the intellectual discourse at the 36th conference. Her presentation “Project 45 and Maps: of People and Lands” examines anxieties surrounding intra-Caribbean migration as well as how overdevelopment has lessened the quality of life for local Barbadians.
‘Hatchlings – A Requiem’ displays the 15-member CARICOM countries as insular national states, lying on a bed of the shredded Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Fiercely passionate about her Caribbean roots and culture, including the importance of nationals’ unimpeded freedom of movement throughout the region, Davis uses her work to contribute to “an understanding of the shifting terrain in our minds and on our lands, through video, wall-based work, and installations.”
She owns art management company Annalee Davis which manages her two artistic brands – Annalee Davis and Manipura. Both brands provide a unique Caribbean experience through imagery and discussion of Caribbean society. The Annalee Davis work contributes to an understanding of the Caribbean through her visual practice, while the Manipura commercial line celebrates the beauty of the region through her home decor line. Select pieces of her work are currently on sale at www.manipurainc.com/sale.
Annalee Davis is one of the six pilot projects currently being considered for Venture Capital investment by the Barbados Entrepreneurs’ Venture Capital Fund. Utilizing the CBET Shepherding model™, the fund is committed to promoting economic development, one successful enterprise after another.
Annalee Davis’ ‘Just Beyond My Imagination’ presents several countries of the Caribbean archipelago as sand traps locked into a sea of perfectly manicured green grass, no sign of water. The flag pole bears the ironic title of the work, making sarcastic reference to ways in which the region offers the best resources, but only to those who can afford it.
