The 2023 Crop Over Visual Arts Festival Tells a Compelling Story

“A powerful and thought-provoking exhibition reflecting on trade, enslavement and migration.”

That is an apt description of the National Cultural Foundation’s Crop Over Visual Arts Exhibition series, which for the 30th year is being sponsored by the Central Bank of Barbados. The exhibition is currently on show at the Queen’s Park Gallery. 

In it, 29 talented Barbadian artists showcase their photography, sculpture, painting, mixed medium, multimedia pieces and more in three exhibitions. The first, “We Came on Merchant Ships – Movement” ran from May 26 to June 22. The second, “We Came on Merchant Ships - Memories and Identity,” is currently on show and will close on July 27, after which the final exhibition, “We Came on Merchant Ships – Rites, Rituals, and Religion,” will run until August 31.

The pieces feature glimpses of Barbadian history, modes of transportation, religion and related cultures such as Rastafarianism. These art pieces bring to life prominent events in history, including the transatlantic slave trade. 

In the exhibition “Memories and Identity,” Omowale Stewart’s two acrylic on canvas pieces entitled “Movements” and “Mama in Town” beautifully depict a market place and town scene where the patrons travel with their fruits and vegetables via donkey carts and bring their children along with them to the market. 

Jacqueline Batson, Attendant of the Queens Park Gallery explains it best.

“Back in the days, the children used to go to town with their parents in school uniform because they didn’t have clothes to wear. Most of them would be barefooted and those who could afford shoes would wear them. In the marketplace, some would be stationary and some would be moving and selling while others would buy their fruits.” 

Another striking acrylic on canvas piece featured in this exhibition is “Mother Culture” by Martine Pile.

“This market place is known for the calabashes. The Rastafarians identify with colours, calabash bags, and creating their own stuff. So, at any point on any beach you would see Rastafarians selling their products, either from coconut shells, leather, clay, beads, and conch shells. There are a lot of details in this piece.”

Batson reveals that this year’s theme ties in with emancipation and slavery, ultimately pointing back to Africa. Each art piece was a representation of African culture. There were pieces representing music with drums that were widely used in African tradition. The theme of African religious practices was also put on display through the sculptures of clay dolls.

“Most of the slaves came on ships. Some of these slaves were educated people – doctors, princes, princesses who were taken up from Africa to be slaves. They were cut off from the life that they knew to go to other countries.”

Batson asserts how important these exhibitions are to carrying on the legacy and impact of African culture and encouraged persons to come and see the exhibitions, which present Barbadians with the opportunity to not only experience their culture but also to learn more about their history, its meaning, and essence.