Caribbean art
[2] From the Saladoids to the Tainos and Kalinago, native Caribbean art was a faithful translation of their primeval mythology, such as depictions of the creation of the world, of animals, and of the arrival of heroes who introduce cultural gifts, all on differing mediums including stone artifacts, body ornaments, wood carvings, rock engravings, rock paintings, as well as ceramics sculptures and decorated pottery.
[4] Currently little or no research has been done to highlight the early French influenced art forms originating in the Caribbean, nor to list artists who might fit within this category.
[7] In 1966, CAM resulted from the works of Caribbean Art: artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, actors, and musicians that made an excursion to London England.
More recently, contemporary artists influenced by post-modernism's concerns with identity have found ways to fuse both forms resulting in art that appear peculiarly unique to their Caribbean experience".
Archer describes recent trends as "a self-conscious and satirical embracing of cultural memory styled in unconventional settings, installations and off-the-wall works that straddle African traditions and European post-modern ideas of 'primitive' creativity."
[6] There are moments when contemporary artists living and working in the Caribbean — as individuals or groups — for example Christopher Cozier (Trinidad & Tobago), Deborah Anzinger (Jamaica), Humberto Diaz and Wilfredo Prieto (Cuba), Jorge Pineda / Quintapata (Dominican Republic), LaVaughn Bell (St. Croix), Maksaens Denis (Haiti), Tirzo Martha (Curaçao) and Tony Cruz (Puerto Rico) to name a few have distinguished themselves through international recognition, collaboration, or "the spirit of the times".
The identity of each island is unique and was shaped by a degree of different influences such as European Colonists, African Heritage, or Native Indian tribes.
The different islands and archipelagos provide a varying mix of ethnicities and cultures that helped shade contemporary art in the Caribbean today.
"Caribbean art, and its production of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture, suggests an existence of different streams inside one big river.
This has made the international views of contemporary art in the region feel more geared towards the Jamaican visions Edna Manley: Embracing African heritage is a focal point for a lot of contemporary art in the Caribbean Islands, and Manley is a key figure in the celebration of African heritage.
"[11] Manley was raised in England and attended the St. Martin's School of Art in London, with no intention of pursuing being an artist full time, she initially wanted to become a zoologist.
After moving, she realized the societal differences between the Jamaican and English middle-classes; this began to motivate and influence her politically and pushed her to address the issues that faced life in Jamaica.
She then continued her education in the United States and received a MFA degree in 2006 from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.
He derives strong influences from classical and experimental music and concerns his work with an intersection of performance, spirituality, queerness, and politics.
