Robin Clare - Art | Illustration | Animation

JAMAICA PROJECT

Jamaica Project explores the way in which modern Jamaica expresses itself through its dancehall and party culture. The result is a combination of purely text-based work alongside sexually suggestive graphics inspired by imagery that surrounds the scene. The work shows a culture where women are highly sexualised within a very male dominated dancehall and party scene. An interesting commentary on the dichotomy of Jamaican women's place within society, which often sees women in roles of both breadwinner and sex object.

My painting style is directly inspired by the traditional Jamaican artisan skill of hand painted signage used in advertising. As you travel around the island there are hand painted signs on walls, bus shelters and entire sides of buildings with a variety of messages ranging from what goods you can buy at local stores and advertising for local businesses to directions and adverts for local go-go clubs. But, like everywhere else, with cheap production costs modern digitally-produced advertisements are fast becoming the dominant form of written and visual communication, transforming the way the culture shapes its messages and portrays itself to the world. My hand-painted style is a homage to sign painting which may one day become a thing of the past.

Combining my technique with messages surrounding Jamaica’s party scene opens a dialogue between the fast-paced world of the new and an often rose-tinted version of the old. Jamaica’s dancehall scene has come under fire in recent years for its inflammatory lyrics, while it is an integral and often controversial part of Jamaican culture offering escapism and entertainment to a population that experiences hardship on a daily basis.