The Tribune

THE Current at Baha Mar announced yesterday that it is excited to present “Buildings Are People Too”, an exhibition by their first two artists-in-residence at the art studio.

“Buildings Are People Too” is an art exhibit by emerging artists Piaget Moss and Veronica Dorsett that explores ideas about the nature of construction, particularly as it relates to the hotels at Baha Mar.

“I think the thing to take away in this exhibition is a documentation of a certain time period,” said Ms Dorsett. “Once the opening happens, people will see the shiny finished product, not the dirty gloves and nails and wood that got us here.”

“We want to present these fragments to people for them to consider when they think about this moment in history. I almost think of us like the Baha Mar archeologists in a sense.”

Audiences are invited to explore the grandeur of buildings and the moments of life they cloak, hoping to promote discourse about the delicate and typically unseen elements of construction.

Juxtaposing portraits of the workers on the Baha Mar development site with salvaged material from the grounds itself, the exhibition explores notions behind the animation of development, the crossing and integration of cultures and the presence of individuals that cultivate exchanges and experiences throughout the construction process.

“I want people, Bahamians especially, to know that the building of this development is not as systematic as they think,” said Ms Moss. “I want them to understand these people and their immense individual lives are invested in our little country and want to build our economy.”

Two distinct bodies of work, stemming from separate perceptions—one made in response to experiencing the site from the inside and the other made exclusively from the perspective of an onlooker –will share a single space in The Glass Bridge, the first gallery opening to the public under The Current’s art programme for Baha Mar.

The Current is the unifying force behind the collective art moments across Baha Mar, including a network of art spaces across the development with provocative programming.

These three art galleries under the umbrella of The Current will create special and sophisticated experiences of visual art for its guests as well as broaden opportunities for visibility for the thriving local art community.

Located in a spacious hallway space at the Meliá hotel, The Glass Bridge will give viewers a look into creative practice within the contemporary art landscape.

“The Glass Bridge at the Meliá is an amazing space for a full blown gallery, with traffic from people hailing from all parts of the world,” said Ms Dorsett. “That is an unique and exciting opportunity. We hope it will generate a lot of conversations about art here in The Bahamas and act as a stepping stone for other art spaces and artists here in our country.”

Ms Moss and Ms Dorsett, both from Grand Bahama who have studied art at the College of the Bahamas, worked exclusively in the temporary Current studio space for four weeks exploring their chosen subject matter through individual creative processes.

This first experience is helping The Current form a dynamic residency programme offering both local and international artists a chance to work in the future studio space for significant periods of time towards ground-breaking exhibitions.

“We are entirely grateful to Baha Mar for this experience,” said Ms Moss. “We love having this chance to be the archeologists—no one else will come into this project at this time and come away with the same what we have come away with from the site.”

“Buildings Are People Too” opens on Thursday, July 31 at 6 pm at the Meliá on One Baha Mar Boulevard. The space is east of the Meliá’s check-in counter. The event is free and open to the public.

For more about The Current, email art@bahamar.com.