“Faces of Familiar Strangers”, the work of Antonius Roberts, is being shown at the D’Aguilar Art Foundation, Virginia Street from March 28, 2011 to April 30, 2011 as a part of the Transforming Spaces Art Tour.
Mr. Roberts says that the motivation for this exhibition was prompted by a desire to achieve three things; to show some of his early work not seen publicly since the 80’s; to draw attention to the blight of poverty which is, unfortunately, still relevant in today’s society; and to pay tribute to loyal collectors of Bahamian art during the 1980’s.
The comment from Alissandra Cummins’ review for the ‘Emerging Artists in the Caribbean’ Exhibition in Nagoya, Japan clearly attests to the motivation that prompted these portraits. “Antonius Roberts’ canvases represent portraits of human emotion and condition. The viewer’s initial response is to the impact of his powerful images of men and women; slightly enlarged heads filling the canvas amplifies the immediacy of human expression. The artist’s portraits are forceful and yet poignant commentaries on Caribbean society.”
The Artist’s Statement clearly expresses his philosophy:
“It was and is my belief that one of my responsibilities as an artist is to be the ‘story-teller’ – to create a visual history which honestly reflects the many aspects of the society in which we live. The inspiration for these evocative portraits sprang from a desire to explore the differences of circumstance between the various layers of Bahamian society – the meaning or lack of it in the lives of the ‘have-nots’, the harsh condition of their living and the substance of their lives.
Mr. Roberts goes on to say that he has attempted in these works to bring into focus the divisions and realities prevailing in our society and which form part of the fabric of our Bahamian history. He comments that he hopes he has depicted accurately and with compassion the complex mixture of emotions written into these faces; hope and hopelessness; meaning and purpose, or the lack of it; weariness and the need for comfort that may or may not have been forthcoming.
