Robert & Christopher Publishers
Caribbean Art Books
It was a pleasure and delight to finally be able to share A to Z of Caribbean Art with some of the book’s contributing writers and artists, as well as friends and supporters, at the Trinidad launch of A to Z on October 31st, 2019.
At Robert & Christopher, it has been a deep honour to be able to work with some of the leading specialists in the field of Caribbean Art on our upcoming title, A to Z of Caribbean Art. Today we introduce writers (from left to right) Veerle Poupeye, Rob Perrée and Indra Khanna.
Veerle Poupeye is a Belgian-Jamaican art historian, curator and critic. She was educated at the Universiteit Gent in Belgium (BA. and MA in Art History) and at Emory University in Atlanta (Ph.D. in Art History and Cultural Studies). She has published extensively on Caribbean art and culture and her best-known publications are Caribbean Art (1998), in Thames and Hudson’s World of Art series, and Modern Jamaican Art (1998). Poupeye has as the Executive Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica and had previously worked there as a Curator. She lectures in Material Culture and Curatorial Studies at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston and has also taught at the University of the West Indies-Mona, and at Emory University and New York University. She lives and works in Kingston, Jamaica, where she presently works as an independent curator and writer.
Rob Perrée studied Art History and Dutch Language and Literature at the University of Amsterdam. He works as a freelance writer and curator, with a focus on contemporary African-American, African, Caribbean and media art. His articles have appeared in many catalogues, books, magazines and newspapers; he has also published books on video art and African-American art, Nan Hoover, Marcel Pinas, Tirzo Martha and René Tosari. Perrée is the founder and editor of Africanah.org. He divides his time between Amsterdam and Brooklyn, New York.
London-based Indra Khanna achieved an MA in Fine Art Printmaking at Chelsea School of Art, and was a practising artist, teacher, and active member of grassroots artist’s organisations for 15 years. Khanna worked at Autograph ABP (The Association of Black Photographers) for seven years, eventually becoming curator, and working with artists such as Pieter Hugo, Shemelis Desta, Franklyn Rodgers and Santu Mofokeng. She started curating independent projects in 2003, the first of which, FlyPitch, was a series of interventions in Brixton’s outdoor market. She went on to curate group and solo shows in the UK, working with artists such as Donald Locke and Tim Shaw. She also acts as an artist’s advocate, and created the Caribbean Artist’s Salon.
On Tuesday 24th April, Trinidad & Tobago illustrated book press, Robert & Christopher Publishers and photographer Maria Nunes, will launch their new book, In a World of Their Own: Carnival Dreamers & Makers, Photographs by Maria Nunes. The launch event, which is part of the 2018 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, will take place at Big Black Box, 33 Murray Street, Woodbrook, from 7.00pm.
Over the past decade, photographer Maria Nunes has been documenting the people who fight to uphold an ethos of Carnival in which creating and performing while paying homage to tradition is central. In a World of Their Own features 300 of Nunes’ stunning and sensitively made colour and black and white photographs of these dreamers and makers, from her unique perspective inside Trinidad Carnival. Through her lens, we travel through time and space in Carnival, from the preparation beforehand, to the last rays of light at dusk on Carnival Tuesday. We enter yards and living rooms as traditions are passed on and skills are honed, we see ideas develop and costumes come to life. We visit Belmont, the Savannah, East Port of Spain and South Quay; Paramin, Perseverance Village, Arima, Moruga, Mayaro, Debe and San Fernando. We take to stages, gayelles and streets, through the unfolding days of Carnival, revelling in all of the beauty, darkness, light, and colour of transcendental performances.
Edited by Melanie Archer and Mariel Brown, In a World of Their Own is 216 pages andfeatures a lyrical essay by Shivanee Ramlochan, who contributes ideas of document, archive and memory. In a World of Their Own also features excerpts of interviews conducted with makers pictured in the book, who give further, invaluable insight: Adrian Young, Alan Vaughan, Anderson Patrick, Darlington ‘Boysie’ Henry, Desmond Noel, Etienne Charles, Kemoi Harper, Lionel Jagessar Senior, Narcenio ‘Señor’ Gomez, Narrie Approo, Ronald Alfred, Shynel Brizan, Steffano Marcano, Stephanie Kanhai, Tekel ‘Salti’ Sylvan, Tracey Sankar-Charleau, and Wendell Manwarren.
Nunes states, “With this book, I hope to offer an alternative perspective to the repeated – and often unfounded – narrative that Carnival traditions are dying and are mainly the concern of an older generation. To be sure, there is an ongoing struggle to keep some traditions going, but to mindlessly cut and paste that clichéd mantra is to miss the reality that so many Carnival artists today are a younger generation bringing new energy to the Carnival space and actively taking the mantle of responsibility for cultural vibrancy from their elders. Their work is the marriage of new ideas and tradition and their creativity is a real-time response within Carnival as a whole. They need our active support and encouragement.”
In a World of Their Own: Carnival Dreamers & Makers, Photographs by Maria Nunes, was made possible through the generosity of Republic Bank Limited, as part of its Power to Make a Difference programme. Considerable support was also given by The Massy Foundation; the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts; Bermudez Group; and Monlo Music Ltd.
The launch is free and open to the public, and Nunes will be present to sign copies of the book, which will be on sale for TT$300. Cash, cheque, and credit card will be accepted. The books will also be sold at the Robert & Christopher table at the NALIS, Port of Spain, during the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Bocas (April 27th, 28th, and 29th).
Trinidad and Tobago illustrated art book imprint, Robert & Christopher Publishers (R&C) is delighted to announce a publishing partnership with Guadeloupe arts organisation, KAERA, towards the publishing and distribution of the forthcoming book, A to Z of Caribbean Art.
With over 40 Trinidad and Tobago visual artists represented, A to Z of Caribbean Art – a comprehensive, visual overview of Caribbean art, from the beginning of the 20th century to now – will be Robert & Christopher Publishers’ sixth title. R&C is currently working towards a Trinidad launch of A to Z at Bocas Lit Fest in late April 2018.
Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited has made a financial contribution that has been applied to the research and writing phases of the book. R&C has also raised funds through a crowdfunding campaign. While KAERA’s contribution will cover part of the cost of printing the book, R&C is still actively fundraising to cover the balance of costs needed to produce a book of this calibre.
Robert & Christopher Publishers is telling a Caribbean story through the A to Z of Caribbean Art – one of a shared past, connected cultural identities and unfolding selfhood. The strength of this publication comes from the links they are forming by collaborating with writers, editors, curators, artists and institutions here at home and throughout the region.
“We are particularly grateful for KAERA’s support because R&C has been trying, without success, to gain the support of our own local government,” explain Robert & Christopher co-editors, Melanie Archer and Mariel Brown. “We have completed a number of applications for funding; none of these has been successful to this point, but we currently have an application in with the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts. We’re hoping that, like the French government, our own government is able to see the importance of contributing to this seminal project and helping to ensure increased visibility – both within the Caribbean and internationally – and posterity for Trinidad and Tobago artists.”
KAERA is a Guadeloupe-based organisation that promotes artistic achievement in digital or traditional form. KAERA works collaboratively to create and curate art-centred events that will bring greater recognition of Guadeloupean artists.
“We believe that collaboration between the Caribbean islands can only strengthen and enhance our international profile, as well as enrich the practice of participating artists. This spirit of collaboration makes us happy to participate in publishing A to Z of Caribbean Art,” says KAERA director Hélène Dabriou.
Robert & Christopher Publishers (R&C) is a small and ambitious illustrated art book imprint based in Trinidad and Tobago. Its primary concern is to produce high-quality books that document and elucidate our Caribbean story, as seen through the eyes of Caribbean artists. R&C’s dedicated team aims to produce the highest quality of relevant books that will be accessible to a wide reading and creative audience, in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and internationally. R&C is the first Caribbean imprint to have a book distributed by Distributed Art Publishers (DAP), the most prestigious distributor of illustrated art books, with clients that include the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Guggenheim and many more. As a result, R&C’s books can be found in the libraries of MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Columbia University, New York University, The University of Virginia, The University of California. Our titles can also be found in local and regional institutions including The University of the West Indies, The University of Trinidad and Tobago, the National Gallery of Jamaica and many more.
In addition to its most recent title, See Me Here: A Survey of Contemporary Self-Portraits from the Caribbean, Robert & Christopher has also published: Pictures from Paradise: A Survey of Contemporary Caribbean Photography, Che Lovelace: Paintings 2004 – 2008, Meiling: Fashion Designer and Barbara Jardine: Goldsmith. In 2014, R&C was invited to co-curate an exhibition, “Pictures from Paradise,” with Wedge Curatorial Projects in Toronto, Canada, as part of the annual CONTACT Photography Festival – the largest public photography festival in the world.
Work continues apace on the A to Z, and we’re happy to introduce our two writers from Jamaica: Monique Barnett-Davidson and Nicole Smythe-Johnson. Barnett-Davidson has worked in various aspects of the visual arts in Jamaica including art education, exhibition programming and development, as well as art museum education and research. She is currently the Assistant Curator in Education at the National Gallery of Jamaica. Smythe-Johnson is a writer and independent curator based in Kingston. She has written for several local and international publications. Most recently, she was Assistant Curator on Neither Day Nor Night (2017) an exhibition of the work of John Dunkley at the Perez Art Museum in Miami. She is currently Editor of Caribbean Quarterly, the University of the West Indies’ flagship journal.
