It has been a great pleasure to work with Laura Gorham, David Mitchell and all the staff and volunteers of the National Gallery of Bermuda and to enjoy the hospitality of many new friends.
The intense four-day process has left us little time to explore this beautiful island, but somehow we feel there has been sufficient reference to the wonderful physical environment of Bermuda through many of the paintings and photographs that we have, in fact, experienced something of the legendary beauty of Bermuda and its hospitable people.
We examined slides of more than four hundred artworks by sixty-two artists and short-listed one hundred and eighteen works. Some general observations about what we are seeing: Photography seems to be on the rise and is becoming one of the island's special strengths. We are very pleased to see that watercolour and pastel, two particularly challenging media, have such able practitioners here in Bermuda.
The abstract tendencies that we have seen in the catalogues of other Bacardi Biennials are continuing to develop in an exciting way. Many of these artists are on the verge of moving into cutting edge approaches to space and images.
All art feeds on other art, but sources must be thoroughly digested. When works reveal their ancestryimmediately it is difficult to get past "source" to the new creation. In several instances we felt that artists presented such an extensive array of possibilities that the true direction of their art was camouflaged by an attempt to demonstrate versatility. This approach can disguise their true commitment. We would like to encourage the organisers to assist the artists in the selection process by reducing the maximum number of works to be submitted. In fact, we would hope that a method could be found to move away from selection by slide to an immediate viewing of the actual works themselves. The slide review process often gives a warped view of a work and so inaccurately reflects the true merit of the works themselves. We also felt that at times the presentation detracted from the works, and we strongly recommend that artists carefully consider how to mat and frame to best effect. The more neutral the setting, the greater the opportunity for the work of art to reflect the intentions of the artist.
The 2002 Biennial reflects a healthy balance between tradition and innovation. We have made a special effort to include work that reflects what is special to Bermuda and to highlight pieces that pursue new stylistic directions. We feel that the National Gallery, through these biennials, is on the verge of ushering in a new international era for the artists and those who believe in their work.
We salute Bacardi Limited for having the vision to support Bermuda's artistic expression. A country's culture is its very soul, and we are delighted to have experienced the character of Bermuda in this very personal way.
