Daughter of the Soil

cadet capela is pleased to present “Daughter of the Soil,” a solo exhibition by Bahamian artist Cydne Jasmin Coleby. In her fifth exhibition with the gallery, Coleby unveils new works on paper that revisit and expand upon previous creations exploring themes of autonomy and anatomy.

For her series of self-portraits, Coleby meticulously constructed silhouettes using fragments of fruits, plants… Her intention is to address desirability, consumption, and the use of bodies similar to hers, particularly highlighting those belonging to black, female, and Caribbean identity:

I primarily use collage to layer various materials and images, merging the familiar paradisiacal views of the region with moments of pain, trauma processing, and grotesque. The resulting images complicate the widely celebrated natural landscape of the Bahamas, emphasizing that idyllic environments can still represent deep wounds.

This new exhibition examines the body more autonomously, focusing on the connection between the individual’s body and their homeland. The artist aims to evoke the body as an independent subject, surpassing its sexualization, to better express its connection to its land and culture.

Recent readings on surrealist movements in the Caribbean after World War II have profoundly influenced the artist. In resonance with the works of Wifredo Lam and Suzanne Césaire, Coleby asserts that the Antillean connection to their land offers a path to liberation from colonial power structures. Thus, through her new works, the artist highlights her deep attachment to her country, where the sense of belonging is synonymous with independence:

Historically, I’ve used ecological references in my collages to speak of the power of regional and environmental influences on identity, and that’s no different here. Considering myself as a ‘daughter of the soil,’ I’ve created a series of portraits and silhouettes, in close-up and full-body, as well as experimental collages of anthropomorphic beings that aim to reimagine the body.

Omnipresent in Coleby’s works, the Breeze Block is a popular architectural element in the Caribbean between the 1930s and 1950s due to its insulating properties and resistance to hurricanes. The use of this motif symbolizes the creation of structures tailored to the specific needs of the region, in opposition to the rigid colonial impositions still present in the Bahamas.

Cydne Jasmin Coleby (born in 1993 in Nassau) is an interdisciplinary artist from the Bahamas. Her practice focuses on mixed-media collages, exploring the alienating effects of trauma. Trained in her home country, Coleby earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Bahamas, the highest artistic qualification in the country. The artist has exhibited both locally and internationally, in the Caribbean as well as in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
In 2024, Coleby is selected among the artists in residence at the Four World Trade Center in New York, USA.