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As part of its tri-island Cross Currents – 1^stCayman Islands Biennial exhibition, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands recently installed a multi-site project in Cayman Brac following the successful launch of a satellite exhibition at the Little Cayman Museum. Consisting of a public art installation by Kaitlyn Elphinstone entitled Coral Tiles (Contemporary Anthropocentric Tile Design) (2019), this ambitious project is conceived as a site-responsive installation which features a series of digital collages created from photographs of coral patterns, over which Caymanian architectural fretwork designs have been superimposed. The resulting surfaces fuse elements of the natural and the man-made and comment on the intricate relationship we have with our surrounding landscape.

Seen on location at various places of everyday life – from the Panama Canal boat launch to the Market Place grocery store – the effect is even more pronounced, blurring the boundaries between art, architecture and nature, while also questioning the value of our coastline as a commercial commodity. Says the artist, “this series investigates the space between beauty and reality, fabricated and natural aesthetics, as well as the anthropocentric view and commercial value we place on our coastal environments. I hope that the installation will draw awareness to the importance of our coastlines and encourage us to carefully consider future development and the role we play.”

This multi-site project can be experienced at the following venues: Charles Kirkconnell International Airport, Panama Canal Boat Launch, The Market Place, and Brac Scuba Shack. In addition, the work can be viewed in Little Cayman, at the Little Cayman Museum, and in Grand Cayman at the Owen Roberts International Airport and the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands.

Developed and hosted by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and supported by Butterfield, the Biennial project features artwork by 42 Cayman artists across sites in Grand Cayman (at the National Gallery’s venue), Little Cayman (Little Cayman Museum) and Cayman Brac (various venues). As an exhibition concept, Cross Currents seeks to showcase the high-calibre of work currently practiced in the Cayman Islands and to challenge the boundaries of contemporary Caymanian art. The Biennial is accompanied by an extensive education programme of workshops, school tours, panel discussions, screenings and lectures, with the aim being to spark dialogue between artists, educators and the viewing public. The wider exhibition is set to run until June 6. Coral Tiles will remain on view in Cayman Brac until July 31, 2019.