No art occurs in a vacuum and the influence of an increasingly globalized culture is evident in the work of contemporary artists in the Caribbean.  New media and technology, the internet, art biennials, and emerging theoretical publications have encouraged Caribbean artists to explore what is “outside” as well as what is “inside” their culture, creating a region that continues to be shaped by the intersection of different cultures.  But what is the artistic direction of Jamaican artists working outside of the Caribbean?  How are they expressing ideas about nation, identity, and the direction of Jamaican art?  What does independence mean to these artists?  And how are they contributing as individuals to the cultural development of the nation homeland?

            New Possessions investigates issues such as these by featuring a select group of Jamaican artists and their works that directly or indirectly relate to these questions.  The concept of independence is explored, in this exhibition, as it relates to independence of the nation and to a more abstract concept, one that includes artistic expressions of personal independence.  The title, New Possessions, refers to Jamaica’s move away from being an English possession to being an independent nation.  This exhibition explores “new possessions,” ways in which as a continuously emerging nation, Jamaicans investigate new ways of acquiring, belonging to, and inhabiting the space we occupy in the world. 

The area of fine arts is an essential way that Jamaican’s contribute to world culture.  It is through the fine arts and the arts in general that Jamaicans relate the history, psychology, and symbols of an island’s independence.  Exploring the art of the Jamaican Diaspora allows for an exhibition that explores the added dimension of negotiating difference and independence, while still feeling connected to the nation. 

            The artists in this exhibition come from a number of different ethnic backgrounds that include Indian, African, European, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and Sephardic (Spanish Jewish).  The influences of their diverse cultural backgrounds contributes to each artist’s analysis of the world they occupy.  This investigation is expressed through the artistic medium, in this exhibition, primarily through two dimensional, abstract or abstracted works.

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