Jamaica Jamaica! is for audiophiles, historians and visual artists
Published:Wednesday | February 5, 2020 | 12:00 AMKimberley Small/Staff Reporter
Hailing from France, independent curator Sebastian Carayol is one of the three collaborators behind the newest exhibition, covering the ground floor of the National Gallery of Jamaica. Together, the triumvate of Herbie Miller, director of the Jamaica Music Museum, O’Neil Lawrence, senior curator of the gallery, and Carayol combined efforts and resources to exhibit ‘Jamaica Jamaica! – the Untold Half of How Jamaican Music Conquered the World’.
Titled after the eponymous 1985 hit song by Brigadier Jerry, the exhibition was initially launched at Philharmonie de Paris in 2017. The exhibition comprises memorabilia, photographs, visual art, audio recording and film – all from private collections and museums. Carayol explained that from the beginning, the idea was to work in collaboration with the National Gallery and the Jamaica Music Museum – to come up with something that could be looked at by Jamaicans, without an outsider’s gaze.
“That’s why we commissioned different local artists and legendary Kingston artist Sassafras. He did something very special for the exhibition,” he told The Gleaner. Sassafras is known for iconic party posters, an idiosyncratic aesthetic reminiscent of the genesis of the dancehall.
Sassafras’ signature sits at the bottom of the Jamaica Jamaica! logo.
According to Carayol, Jamaica Jamaica! means to invert different forms of artistic expression, while telling the story of Jamaican music. Though the story can easily be taken for granted by locals, the independent curator relays success on the international front – as the exhibition invited in more than music fans.
“There’s sort of a big following for Jamaican music and reggae in France. However, I came to find out from my years of collecting Jamaican music that a lot of reggae fans in France know a small part of the Jamaican music history. So, it was interesting to bring them things they didn’t know about the history and culture – and link it with the social and political context. The exhibition was a success in France because it united the music fans, but also people who are into history or graphic art,” Carayol said.
He continued: “I’m interested in trying to mix different crowds, in different forms of cultural expression, but who don’t necessarily meet. Music fans are into music, and people going to a museum can be a different crowd. We’re trying to attract all the people interested in culture, and show how unique the history of Jamaica is.”
Presented by the Ministry of Culture, Gender and Sport, the National Gallery of Jamaica and the Jamaican Music Museum, in association with La Philharmonie de Paris, Jamaica Jamaica! opened on February 2 and closes on June 28.