The Bermuda National Gallery has, once again produced a superb exhibition. In this instance, its all about neighbourhoods, communities and identities. The show was curated and installed by Edwin Smith along with the BNG team. The exhibition title is A Sense of Belonging: Connection and Community in Bermuda Art.

When we are in a comfortable community situation, where we sense acceptance; we have a sense that this is where we belong.

This BNG exhibition can likewise be seen as reflecting that of a viable community, for like any real community, it has diversity, but also unity. The show, despite its technical and stylistic differences, conveys in its arrangement a sense that each work is where it works best in relation to its neighbours but also within the space it inhabits. There is an overall sense of cohesiveness, of belonging.

This exhibit showcases 27 works by 14 artists. Of the 27, seven are sculpture, 12 are paintings, the rest are etchings, a photograph, a quilt, etc.

In addition to the show’s technical differences, there is a considerable stylistic, dimensional and material range. To be specific, there are examples of realism, surrealism, expressionism and abstraction.

There are also differences in size. A few are large, most are modest to small. The artists have utilised an array of materials, such as oil paint, acrylic, pastel, encaustic, fabric, stone, wood, metals inks, you name it.

As they say, variety is the spice of life.

I am reminded of an assertion made by Sir Herbert Read in his landmark treatise, Education Through Art. He contended that just as we humans can be sorted into differing physical or psychological types, there are also different artistic types. He saw these as Realists, Surrealists or fantasists, Expressionists and the Constructivists or Abstractionists. He also suggested that these boundaries are not highly fixed but often intermix.

Each work of art has its own unique personality. The two very large Gombey paintings by Robert Bassett are demanding, expressive, almost brash. They draw us into their particular orbits, much in the way we are pulled into the atmosphere of an actual Gombey troupe.

Bassett’s large Gombey paintings are exhibited on the east and west walls of the Young Gallery. They share that gallery’s space with Bill Ming’s sculpture, Family Circle and Graham Foster’s mobile, Seas of Europa.

Although Bassett is known for his Gombey paintings, he is perhaps at his best with his abstracts and the one in this exhibition is worth close scrutiny, for he utilises painting techniques mostly associated with the Dadaist/Surrealist, Max Ernst. A sample of the techniques Ernst and Bassett utilised are known as frottage, grattage, decalcomania and collage.

Frottage is a method of creating texture by placing a paper on a textured surface and then rubbing it with a pencil or crayon. With decalcomania, a paper is placed on an area of wet paint and then quickly lifted, creating unusual dendritic textures.

Bassett’s abstract painting is called Red Pill.

Ming, a Bermudian who has made his artistic mark in Britain, is influenced to a considerable extent by sub-Saharan African tribal art and also that of the Pacific islands. At the same time he is uniquely himself, but also uniquely Bermudian. His sculptures are singularly identifiable as being a Ming. As with many African artists, he considers himself a wood carver, but also a storyteller.

Ming has three sculptures in this exhibition: Family Circle, Reaching Back to Go Forward, and Hands Across Da Table. The first two are sculptures in the round and are wood carvings. The last work, Hands Across Da Table, is a relief that is mixed media. As suggested by Ming, it is made of fragments from other, older carvings, plus clippings from earlier drawings.

Graham Foster is one of Bermuda’s most significant contemporary artists and is best known for his painted depictions of the Bermuda scene in a Surrealist style. His contributions to this exhibition however, showcases two of his three dimensional/sculptural pieces.

Seas of Europa is a mobile of cutout fish and two boats each with a crew of three. Materially, it is made of plywood, enamel and nylon. It being a Mobile, it is therefore mobile or moveable. When viewing Sea of Europa, be sure to also see its cast shadow on the gallery wall, as this is an important aspect of the piece. Seas of Europa is on loan from the Masterworks Collection.

Tribal Darts is one of Foster’s welded steel sculptures. It is inspired by the art of Africa and the Pacific islands. The fact that he has lined some with shark’s teeth relates this piece more to the culture of the Pacific.

Although Norman Lewis was New York born and raised, he had Bermudian roots. Both his parents were Bermudians who immigrated to New York early in the 20th century. They had three sons. Saul, the eldest was a Jazz musician in the Count Basie Orchestra. He played the violin. Norman, the middle son was a gifted visual artist; he was also musical. He played the piano. I have not found any information on the youngest son.

As a visual artist, Norman Lewis exhibited in such prestigious institutions as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Venice Biennale, still, as a Black artist, he had his struggles with the mid 20th-century art establishment. He was quoted as saying that it would take another 30 years for his art to be fully accepted. In saying that, he was spot-on. Recently one of his paintings sold at auction for $800,000.

There are three Lewis works in this show; an etching from the BNG collection, plus two paintings from private collections. It must be said, they are each truly stunning. My favourite is untitled, but it is located near the entrance to the Ondaatje wing. It is a small, quiet painting with sgraffito, or scratchings throughout the painted surface. By this means it is possible to scratch a design into the painting.

In the BNG Humann Gallery, there are two related paintings that are of historic, as well as aesthetic interest. Both were painted in 1959 by two different artist who happened to be close friends. Both deal with the Bermuda civil rights movement.

The first, called Theatre Boycott, Upstairs Right. It is by Robert Barritt. The other by Charles Lloyd Tucker is called Storm in a Teacup. The latter title refers to a quote by some opposed to the Civil Rights Movement, who supposedly said that the theatre protest was no more than a “tempest in a teacup”.

It should be noted that the arts led the way in racial integration, for the Bermuda Society of Arts, which was founded in the early 1950s was racially integrated from its inception. This was several years before the 1959 Theatre Boycott. Both Robert Barritt and Charles Lloyd Tucker were active members of BSoA.

Although large works of art, by their very size, will make an impact, small works require close inspection and in that way, they also make an impression. I think of the really tiny acrylic painting by Barbara Dallas. It hangs on the wall next to the large Bassett abstract, yet it holds our attention. It is a figurative-cum-abstract work, that utilises colour to indicate spaciousness.

The BNG’s Upper Mezzanine is a flexible space that has been successively utilised for exhibiting large paintings, but mostly it lends itself to exhibiting small to modest works. This is so with this current show. There you will find a pastel drawing, plus an encaustic by Sharon Muhammad, a photograph by John Athill Frith, two etchings by Donald Kirkpatrick, a wall hanging by Lynn Morrell, an acrylic painting by Betty Azzario, a scratch board illustration by Catherine Draycott and two sculptures, one by Chelsea Trott, the other by Will Collieson.

A Sense of Belonging: Connection and Community in Bermuda Art continues through March 2024. It is a super show that succeeds, not only because of its content but also because of its arrangement. The exhibition is curated by Edwin Smith and produced with the Bermuda Arts Council.

If you love art, this is a show to see. If you are not into art, I dare you to go and see it anyway, you might be surprised. Furthermore it will cost you nothing. Admission is free.