BPS Exhibition –
Diffusing Borders in Colour, Motion and Form’ – ‘Contemporary Offerings In Photography’

In May 2024 the BPS was invited by the National Cultural Foundation and Barbados Artists Alliance to participate in the annual Central Bank of Barbados Crop Over Visual Arts Exhibition, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Crop Over.
Spanning three modes of creative expression, paintings, craft and photography exhibitions were to be mounted at various venues.

The theme of the exhibition “Diffusing Borders in Colour, Motion and Form”, though initially challenging, provided adequate creative scope for photographers to select and print images that interpreted contemporary offerings in photography.
The members of BPS responded enthusiastically to the call to submit photos for the exhibition to be curated by our own Giselle Walker.

Some 34 photos were rigorously selected from those submitted by Adam Taylor, Adrian Richards, Alex Greenidge, Bradley Benskin, Charles McClean, Cheryl McCollin-Walker, Hugh Walker, Jenny Gonsalves, Kirk Rouse, Lynda Browne-Bristov, Markley Bryan, Niaz Dokrat, Raymond Maughan, Yvette Reid, Sherlock Lord, Stephen Cumberbatch, Sybil Edghill and Victor Gittens. Both new and seasoned photographers alike, presented their selected images printed on canvas, archival paper, metal and mixed media for hanging at the gallery of The Embassy of Argentina, by the kind permission of the Ambassador Mr. Ciro Ciliberto and Ms. Oneka Small of Artist Alliance Barbados.

The exhibition’s opening night on July 16th was truly a celebration of significant events of two republics, the 208th anniversary of independence of Argentina and Barbados, the 50th anniversary of the Crop Over Festival, in the annual Season of Emancipation.

In attendance at the opening were specially invited guests of the Ambassador, drawn from the diplomatic corps, Staff of the Embassy and friends. Specially invited guests of BPS and its President, Bradley Benskin, included His Honour, Leslie Haynes, SC, Chief Justice of Barbados, his wife, and the former Chief Justice, Sir Patterson Cheltenham. Dr Chantal Munroe Knight, Minister of Culture in the Prime Minister’s Office, and other executives of the NCF were also in attendance.

The large gathering which was made up of photographers, artists and art lovers was very appreciative of the quality of the work presented on the gallery walls, and some were seen engaging with the exhibitors, about the details of their pieces.

In his speech to mark the occasion, Ambassador Ciliberto welcomed the dignitaries and invited guests, and traced the fight of the Argentinian people, which led to political freedom from Spain on July 9th 1816.

In his turn at the microphone, Mr. Bradley Benskin, President of BPS thanked the Ambassador for hosting the exhibition and the opening function. He also extended appreciation to the staff of the embassy and members of BPS for arranging and curating the exhibition. The photographers whose work was on display were highly commended and he finally thanked the NCF, The Central Bank of Barbados and Ms. Oneka Small of the Queens Park Gallery for inviting the photographers of BPS to exhibit their work on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Crop Over Festival in Barbados.