THE HISTORY OF ART in the Bahamas was long defined by what tourists wanted—and did not want—to see. “Here it never rains, and the sky is always blue,” says John Cox, the executive director of arts and culture at the Nassau resort Baha Mar, with a rueful smile. We’re sitting in ECCHO, the resort’s second gallery space, launched a little over two years ago to showcase Bahamian artists interested in pursuing more complex ideas about life on the islands, like Kachelle Knowles, whose playful mixed-media portraits explore Black masculinity. In a section designed as a home away from home for the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB), where Cox was formerly chief curator, an installation is underway devoted to the painter Kendal Hanna, who died last summer. Often described as…
You're reading a preview of
Conde Nast Traveler (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2025