By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor
Nassau-based gallery and artist cooperative Popop International Center for the Visual Arts has announced it will be exhibiting at international art fair Volta NY for the fourth consecutive year.
The selected galleries hail from 50 cities around the world and feature artists of 43 nationalities.
This year, the featured artist for Popopstudios will be local painter and sculptor Tessa Whitehead, whose solo show at a major international art fair will be a first for Bahamian female artists.
Trained as a painter, Whitehead has expanded her practice to include sculptures and installations using raw materials like cement, wood, and stainless steel.
Her Volta NY work includes a 15-foot tall sculpture entitled Rainbow of Stars, which is comprised of 354 individually-cut wooden stars that are strung up like a necklace and formed into the shape of a rainbow.
In addition to the sculptures, Whitehead will exhibit a series of her paintings.
“The sculpture and paintings that I will be exhibiting at Volta NY are descriptions of drawings from my sketchbook,” said Whitehead. “By recording a curious or fleeting moment and reworking it slowly, I can examine the idea of objectifying suspended time. I like to work in a way that the outcome is uncertain and so I am really looking forward to seeing this new body of work in such a formal space.”
Established in 2008, Volta NY is a boutique event that showcases contemporary art from emerging international artists.
An estimated 45,000 people attended last year, and the numbers are expected to rise in 2016.
Volta was co-founded in Basel, Switzerland by Ulrich Voges and Amanda Coulson, Director of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, and now artistic director of Volta.
“Popopstudios was the first gallery from the Caribbean to participate in Volta NY,” said John Cox, CEO and Creative Director of Popopstudios. “We are honored to once again have the opportunity to show the world the amazing contemporary art that comes from this region. Volta NY is also an invaluable global platform to show that The Bahamas has a rich and dynamic visual culture with artists that can stand on the world stage.”
The fair will take place at PIER 90 in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City from March 2 – 6.