Patchwork: Essays & Interviews on Caribbean Visual Culture

The book "Patchwork: Caribbean Visual Art and the Making of Identity" explores the process of Caribbean societies, societies forging identity and identities out of plural and at times conflicting and contested groups. It highlights the importance of coherence in Caribbean art and seeks to clarify and rectify the situation of vernacular needlework artists within the visual art tradition. The book addresses ecological concerns, sustainability, the practices of artists, and the placement of women in the visual art ecology of the Caribbean, challenging boundaries and long-held perceptions. It aims to insert vernacular needleworkers into the visual art scene in Jamaica and the larger Caribbean, appealing to researchers, scholars, college students, artists, and general readers interested in the culture of the region.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 20 January 2023
Publisher: Intellect Books

The patchwork serves as a fitting metaphor for the region, not only due to its vibrant colors and the creation of something whole from fragmented pieces, but also because it represents an attempt to bring order out of chaos. The pursuit of coherence was the driving force behind the compilation of this book, highlighting the process by which Caribbean societies have forged their identities and identities from diverse and sometimes conflicting groups that have come to call the region home.

Within the realm of the patchwork, a pertinent question arises: where do the vernacular needlework artists fit within the visual art tradition of the Caribbean? The introduction aims to clarify and rectify this situation, and several recurring themes permeate the subsequent essays and interviews. These themes include the enduring significance of land and colonization for numerous Caribbean artists, who engage in staging and re-staging the history of conquest and empire in diverse ways. Artists in the region often blend their practices, favoring an open-endedness in their artistic approach over strict adherence to a particular medium. Furthermore, artists and scholars alike are challenging long-held perceptions of what Caribbean art is supposed to be, pushing boundaries within the Caribbean art landscape.

These issues are explored in depth in the book, addressing ecological concerns and questions of sustainability. It examines how the practices of artists and their art defy easy categorization of the region, and the place of women in the visual art ecology of the Caribbean, which is one of the most contentious aspects of the book. Readers should leave with the impression that questions of race, color, and class loom large within gender issues in the Jamaican art scene, and that the book, dedicated to Sane Mae Dunkley, serves as a valuable contribution to understanding these complex dynamics.

Weight: 402g
Dimension: 148 x 210 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789386462
Edition number: New ed