Aug 15, 2024

The layers of Che Lovelace

The Trinidadian artist’s vibrant painting, The Gun, is on view now at the AGO

Che Lovelace. The Gun, 2022. acrylic and dry pigment on four paperboard panels mounted to single wooden subframe, Overall: 150.2 × 130.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase, with funds from Friends of Global Africa & the Diaspora, Simon Nixon, and the Mitzi & Warren Eisenberg Foundation, 2023. © Che Lovelace. Courtesy of the artist and Nicola Vassell Gallery. 2023/22

Trinidad and Tobago is a nation of layered identities. Populations of African, Indian, Chinese, Syrian and Indigenous (Arawak and Carib) heritage have coalesced over centuries, creating a distinct tapestry of cultural representation. Mirroring this reality is the country’s vibrant cultural production, from the emancipatory pageantry of Carnival to its contributions to modern and contemporary art. At the AGO, Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace’s painting, The Gun, exemplifies the many colours and complexities that make up the Caribbean’s fifth largest nation.

The Gun is composed of four square panels that depict an abstracted moment in nature. A human figure peers over the edge of a pool of water, gazing deeply into it/the abyss. To the left of the bather lies a gun. Behind him, contrasting the orange hues of his skin, are lush vegetation depicted with gestural brushstrokes in vibrant colours. Accentuating the foliage are several powder pink palm fronds that – although abstracted – clearly affirm this is a tropical locale.. Here, Lovelace draws attention to the spiritual significance of water and the sacred and practical importance it holds within Trinidadian culture.

According to Lovelace, “Layered identity and different forms of cultural expression are the essence of Trinidadian culture.” The Gun’s four board panels exemplify this notion by creating a fragmented effect within the painting. In addition, its many layers of acrylic paint and colour palette further symbolize Trinidad’s multifaceted cultural identity.

The son of renowned Trinidadian novelist Earl Lovelace, Che Lovelace (born 1969) lives and works in his lifelong home of Trinidad. He paints the flora, fauna, figures, landscapes and rituals of the Caribbean. Lovelace’s unique depictions of Trinidad are informed by his rootedness there, having established his studio practice on the rural outskirts of Port of Spain. Lovelace received his training at L'École Régionale des Beaux-Arts de la Martinique. His work has been widely exhibited globally over the last decade.

The Gun is on view as part of the AGO’s department of Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora’s Critical Views, a selection of recent acquisitions by six contemporary artists. Featuring works by Preston Pavlis , Marie-Hélène Cauvin, Sahara Longe, Myrlande Constant, Che Lovelace, and Marc Padeu, this installation illustrates their distinct ways of expressing a multiplicity of histories, contested identities and cultural perspectives. The broad range of visual tropes and subjects in these works offer a glimpse into the multifaceted contemporary experiences of Africa and its diasporas, and the complexities of Black life.

Critical Views: Recent Acquisitions by the Department of Arts of Global Africa & the Diaspora is currently on view on Level 2 of the AGO (gallery 248).