Archipelago: The Fourth Cayman Islands Biennial Announces Selected Artists

The National Gallery of Cayman Islands is taking the 4th edition of the Cayman Islands Biennial to new horizons by inviting U.S.- based curators for their themed exhibition, Archipelago. This multi-sited exhibition represents the best submissions from Caymanian artists across all three islands and the Diaspora to showcase the breadth of diversity and creativity in this Caribbean country.

The Biennial runs October 2, 2025-February 18, 2026, with a Press/VIP Preview day on October 1, 2025 at the National Gallery and across several satellite spaces across Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. These sites include the Cayman Islands National Museum, Gram Bella’s, the Mission House on Grand Cayman, the Little Cayman Museum, and Brac Heritage House. Admission is free to the public, as is the suite of programming that will animate the venues throughout the exhibition run.

Inspired by the scattered formation and relative isolation of islands, the theme Archipelago foregrounds the interplay of the individual and the collective, just as an archipelago is simultaneously a single conglomerate and a chain of several distinct land masses. The exhibition will be organised according to multiple subthemes for this interplay of individuals within/against a collective. These include the ‘Culture Shift’ of heritage, memory, and belonging; ‘Social Dynamics’ shaped by communication, politics, and technology; and ‘Ecological Legacies’ as they pertain to preservation, sustainability, and environmental concerns.

This curated exhibition was juried from 165+ submissions by 100+ artists—a testament to the cultural growth since the first biennial in 2019, with 51 works by 41 artists. At the closing ceremony, artists will be selected for the Bendel Hydes and the Emerging Artist awards, with monetary and exhibition development for awardees.

Artists selected for this year’s biennial include:

James Adams, Kimberly Ann Agbuya, Diane Leitch Anglim, Shane (a.k.a. Dready) Aquârt, Jo Austin, Nancy Barnard (née Kirkaldy), Alok Bhardwaj, John Bird, Luelan (a.k.a. Lutz) Bodden, Dubadah Boldeau, Cameron Bridgeman, David Bridgeman & Leonard Dilbert, Rhian Campbell & Meegan Ebanks & Sean Ebanks, Kristy Capewell, Deborah Chase van der Bol, Randy Chollette, Jasmina Cibic (feat. Rita Estevanovich), Anne-Marie Diaz, Bryony Dixon, Conroy Ebanks, Kerwin G. Ebanks, Kaitlyn Elphinstone, Kathryn Elphinstone, Samuel Etoh, Daniel Grimes, Zuri Hannah, Heather Holt & Morgan Olley, Joanna Humphries, John Reno Jackson, Martina Jackson, Andre Jennings, Esther Johnson, Pam Kelly-Laurenson, Cera-Tan Kennaird, Jason Kennedy, Deborah Kern, Stefan Langlois, Faye Lippitt, Iain A. MacRae, Magpie, Linda McCann, Sarah McDougall, Alyssa McLaughlin, Michael A. Mothen, Claire Pettinati, José Plácido, Yonier Powery, Brandon Saunders, Janine Scriven, Amrita Sinha, Sisters’ Art (Lana Gilyun & Larisa Sved), Elizabeth Paige Smith, Kay Smith, STOAK’D (Marc Laurenson) & FOOTS (Ronald Kynes), Nasaria Suckoo Chollette, Simon Tatum, Cecelia Urdaneta, Alyssa Whorms, and Zhenya Xia.

While the first biennial editions were juried by regional experts and curated by the National Gallery curatorial team, this edition invited Joseph L. Underwood and Davin Ebanks to co-curate the fourth edition, the latter who is a former Bendel Hydes Awardee (2nd Cayman Islands Biennial). Underwood and Ebanks will also serve as authors and editors of the catalogue published in conjunction with the biennial, available early 2026.

This project is supported by Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited and the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage.

The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is charged with promoting and encouraging the appreciation and practice of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands. This mission is achieved through exhibitions, education and outreach, school tours, community festivals, and ongoing research projects. Holding up to ten exhibitions annually their central exhibition space, and satellite venues around Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, the curatorial team strives to create a balance between exhibitions of quality Caymanian artwork with art from further afield. This is achieved by working with a broad cross-section of artists and ranging from site-specific work to more traditional gallery-based projects. In addition to the Biennial, the Gallery is home to the National Art Collection of local historic and contemporary art.

For press requests, please contact Maia Muttoo, education@nationalgallery.org.ky , +1(345) 945-8111, https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/