Caribbean artists Jeda Pearl and Courtney Stoddart have come together to share their heritage and remember their ancestors in a new exhibit at the Museum of Edinburgh. The exhibition demonstrates some issues they have faced, with universal themes of self-identity and belonging. The curators have also given people a chance to showcase their stories through mediums of art and writing.
An artwork titled [Celebration] Hear they came by Jay Garfield Oliver portrays multiple figures on the left facing one direction with mixed media and colours behind them. Displaying the present members of a generation looking towards the future with the combined memory of ancestors behind them represents longevity. Oliver utilises a selection of objects and colours to mould together the lives of several people and their different personalities. All have some influence on the forthcoming lives.
A poem that particularly struck me was by the curator Jeda Pearl called Outta Many. Powerfully, she encourages fellow immigrants, Caribbean or not, to rise above colonialism and stand our ground to voice our belonging. It is up to us to share our culture and traditions so it may survive well after we have gone. One of her lines, “The Green will never judge you,” proclaims that land and heritage are bonded for infinity no matter what others say. In other words, the land reminds us of those who walked, ran, and crawled before. The land is far superior to those who write our history. Like Oliver’s artwork, Pearl references how our ancestors have played a significant part in leading us to where we are today, and we should continue with that legacy.
Zach McDonald, another contributor to the exhibit, shared a portrait of a young man taking off his glasses with the Trinidad and Scotland flag behind him. His piece, “Identity”, reflects the confusing and blurred concept of ‘what am I?’. Having only half of each flag drawn but covering the negative space highlights how one can be both. Contrary, though, with the young man taking off his glasses, it looks like he is saluting the flags, suggesting how some might feel forced to choose one. It is a difficult and sometimes alienated feeling to have no assurance of a designated belonging, but our identities are more than a committed duty.
The exhibit will be on display until January 2024, allowing enough time to read each and every inspiring story.
Photograph of the artwork via Emma Carrero