Tavares Strachan (b. 1979 in Nassau, Bahamas) references aeronautics, astronomy, deep-sea exploration, and extreme climatology to create monumental allegories through multiple mediums to communicate stories of cultural displacement, human aspiration, and mortal limitation. His work also responds to how power operates in the production and recording of a singular narration of history.
Unimaginable Triumph uses text and subject matter from his fifteen-year-long project The Encyclopedia of Invisibility - an ongoing anthology of hidden stories that have been left out of history. The tapestry weaves layered references together and draws from Strachan’s emphasis on articulating multiple histories.
Central to the show is The Encyclopedia of Invisibility - a fifteen-year-long project resulting in an ongoing anthology of hidden stories that have been left out of history. This work anchors his thematic and material voyages, emphasising the necessity for articulating multiple histories, and how power operates in the production and recording of a singular narration of history.
Head and Pot (Louise Little: Leopard) (2023) forms part of a larger series of ceramic, totem-like works that presents key African American, Caribbean and Brazilian figures, offering an expression of their stories as having a spiritual significance in addition to their social impact. This series was produced for his August 2023 show at Goodman Gallery Johannesburg, his first show on the African continent.
‘I love this idea that the mud is an integral part of human existence and human evolution. And the idea that you can build something from clay, fire it, and create form is something that is very much connected to the many cultures creation story, but the idea of just being an artist in general. So, clay is a really important motivator and driver for this exhibition’ - Strachan
Uncontrollable Calm (2022) offers an intimate examination of cosmic influences, and highlights Strachan’s knowledge and fascination with astronomy. This work connects to his exploration of the idea that because of the infinite speed of light, when you gaze up into the night sky, you’re looking into the past, collapsing the way that we think about time.