Historic purchase: Bermuda National Galley acquires

Graham Foster work for Permanent Collection

HAMILTON, Bermuda (November 28, 2002) — The Bermuda National Gallery is proud to announce that it has acquired 21^st Century Fetish Family, a sculpture by the contemporary Bermudian artist Graham Foster, for the Gallery’s Permanent Collection.

The acquisition of the three-piece welded steel sculpture, a major feature of this year’s Bacardi Limited Biennial Exhibition, was made possible by generous donations from the Christian Humann Foundation, a long-standing supporter of the Gallery, and Gallery trustees Colin (Dusty) Hind and his wife, Barbara O’Shaugnessy.

It is the first time the Gallery has purchased a contemporary Bermudian work from the Biennial and was chosen on the recommendation of the show’s international jurors: Dr. David Boxer, Director Emeritus and Chief Curator of the Jamaica National Gallery; and Dr. Virginia Mecklenburg, Senior Curator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Laura T. Gorham, Director of the Gallery, said Mr. Foster’s work, a striking modern impression of African and Oceanic tribal art, complemented the Gallery’s acclaimed African collection.

She said: “The acquisition was really an idea whose time had come. Several Board members felt that we needed to start identifying significant contemporary artists in Bermuda whose work we should add to the Gallery’s Permanent Collection, which is a vitally important record of the development of the visual arts in Bermuda. And we thought, where better to start than our own Bacardi Biennial Exhibition where we have international jurors who can make professional, unbiased recommendations?”

David Mitchell, the National Gallery’s Curator commented: “21st Century Fetish Family, which was the centrepiece of our recent Bacardi Limited Biennial, is a major piece by one of Bermuda's contemporary masters. Graham is a Bermudian artist of international standing and we are delighted to add a piece of his to our contemporary Bermuda collection.”

Mr. Foster, a graduate of Bermuda College and The Museum School of Fine Art in Boston, stated: “When I first heard that the National Gallery was considering purchasing the Fetish Family I was bowled over. As an artist it’s a great honour to have a piece in the Permanent Collection. As a Bermudian and being strongly influenced by this Island in much of my work, it makes me proud to think that future generations of Bermudians will be able to see my work long after I’ve keeled over.”

The 32-year-old Bermudian, best known for his surreal paintings and steel sculptures, said the piece marked the beginning of a new artistic direction for him personally. “I’d always been interested in tribal art and after seeing some of the pieces in the Gallery’s African collection and in books I noticed all these amazing shapes, textures and patterns. I decided to try and translate these into steel. I feel I’ve begun to find my own style after a lot of experimentation and being influenced by other artists.” (Mr. Foster’s artistic statement about the piece is attached to this press release)

Trustee Dusty Hind, an acknowledged expert, collector and dealer of African art, said: “Graham’s work is so varied and dynamic and as a Trustee of the National Gallery, it has long been my belief that the Gallery should create a collection of work by significant living Bermudian artists.

“I loved the three pieces of sculpture, especially as Graham’s inspiration comes from African art and in particular from the National Gallery’s collection of African art. Most traditional African art was not considered by the maker to be art; they were functional objects for worship or special events and it is only in the west that they are regarded as art. I think the fact that Graham created these three pieces in an industrial way tapped into the idea of functionality even though he was creating art. There is an industriality to them that adds to their intensity. It is an intense, powerful and thoughtful piece, down to the fact that he has filled the voids with “magical” pieces just as Central Africans did with nkisi nkondi, a figure that had voids in the belly into which they put herbs, spices and other magical substances to empower the figure.”

Barbara Lines, chairperson of the Gallery’s Collection Committee, commented: “Of the works accepted into the 2002 Biennial, Fetish Family stood out because it commanded a viewer’s attention whether they liked it or not. The balance of proportions and subject matter gives off energy. In my opinion, Graham Foster has crossed another artistic threshold in his ability to construct innovative pieces of artwork that are of his own style and vocabulary. The piece in question is a landmark of maturity for Graham but more important, competes at an international level as a contemporary work. An artist may only produce a handful of masterpieces in his lifetime and I am proud to say that the Bermuda National Gallery now has one by Graham Foster in their Permanent Collection.”

21^st Fetish Family will be on display for the immediate future in the Gallery’s Watlington Room as part of a revolving exhibition of the Gallery’s Permanent Collection.

For further details, interview requests and images for publication, please contact Director Laura Gorham at 295-9428 or director@bng.bm. For further information about the Gallery, go to: www.bng.bm. For more on Graham Foster’s work, go to: www.grahamfoster.com

Note to editors: Opened in 1992, the Bermuda National Gallery is both the home of Bermuda’s national art collection and the centre of the Island’s thriving arts scene. It is now the Island’s leading art museum with a richly diverse exhibition programme of past and present works by local and international artists that reflects Bermuda’s varied artistic heritage and multicultural community.

21st Century Fetish Family

Artist’s statement

I was strongly influenced by African and Oceanic art, especially fetish pieces some of which are in the National Gallery collection. The shapes and characteristics of these tribal pieces inspired me to translate them into steel — the ultimate modern medium as opposed to wood and stone. The steel incorporates an industrial edge, such as the ring studded with lugnuts suggesting a part of some factory machine or a diving helmet, while the surrounding casing is reminiscent of a 1930s clock.

The placement of the skull inside was influenced by the ancestor worship of Papua New Guinea. The skulls of ancestors were kept and venerated, often decorated or kept in skull racks. The aqua lens was meant to create an unsettling distortion of a smiling skull underwater — also gives it a more subtle effect than an exposed skull.

The whole lower half of this piece is covered in steel dots to resemble tribal scarification often depicted on African sculpture. Its shape resembles a chimneystack or a cannon. The shortened arms on the lower half are influenced by Ashanti fertility dolls. Many African fetish sculptures feature plugs and mirror chambers — wishes for good crops, health, curses etc were whispered into the hole, which was then plugged to prevent the wish escaping. The mirror chamber contained magical substances to give the fetish its power. Two of the pieces within the Family feature these plugs, which are attached to chains; they also have ‘fetish chambers’ into which I have inserted some ‘magical’ objects such as a monkey skull and an alligator foot.

Homs are common on many African masks and sculptures, usually carved from wood and sometimes using actual animal horns. The main shape of this sculpture is influenced by spoon figures from Africa. The horns are from a gemsbok — a type of African antelope — and I added a small amount of beadwork for some colour and texture. After experimenting with other shapes, combined with the horns, I found the spoon oval to be the most effective.

The box-like shape of this piece is modern, not unlike a television (a modern day fetish object), with horns as opposed to the smoother, more organic forms favoured in tribal art. Once again, there is the scarification and the plug. The mirror chambers are on either side and contain items similar to those found in fetish pieces. The oval features inlaid cowrie shells, often used in tribal art and is influenced by Oceanic wooden bowls inlaid with human teeth.