Press Release: Fragments of Epic Memory Opening at the Portland Museum of Art on October 6, 2023

For immediate release: July 24, 2023

Leasho Johnson (Jamaica, born 1984), Jaw bone (man looking back at the cane fields), 2019, charcoal, watercolor, distemper, acrylic, oil stick, oil paint on canvas, 24 × 30 × 1 3/4 inches. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase, with funds from Friends of Global Africa and the Diaspora, 2021. © Leasho Johnson. Photo AGO. 2021/30

Fragments of Epic Memory is an immersive encounter with the Caribbean and its diaspora that vividly intertwines past and present, memory and myth, and continuity and change, creating a testament to the enduring power of art to illuminate the complexities of personal experience.  

From the streets of Jamaica to the shores of Trinidad and Tobago, Fragments of Epic Memory connects, contextualizes, and complicates historical depictions of the Caribbean region as a place for colonial profit and tourist pleasures. By combining historical and contemporary materials, the exhibition transforms stagnant and biased narratives into multifaceted and revelatory ways of understanding the region’s history. Fragments of Epic Memory recenters the narrative from the dynamic perspectives of the Caribbean diaspora.  

Unknown, Emancipation Day, Jamaica, August 1, circa 1895, two gelatin silver prints, 11 9/16 × 9 7/16 inches. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Patrick Montgomery, through the American Friends of the Art Gallery of Ontario Inc., 2019. Photo © AGO. 2019/2704.

Captivating contemporary works from leading artists of Caribbean descent are placed in dialogue with more than 100 photographs from the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs, which document the emergence of photography alongside the unfolding of emancipation. The Montgomery Collection includes over 3,500 historical images from 34 countries, and primarily focuses on the aftermath of enslavement in the region. British emancipation in the Caribbean (1838) coincided almost exactly with the invention and proliferation of photographic technologies (1839), and this unique collection provides a visual archive of colonialism, evoking new ways to consider the region's histories and cultures.

Photographs, paintings, and video installations by a multigenerational group of artists such as Sandra Brewster, Vanley Burke, Christopher Cozier, Jeannette Ehlers, Nadia Huggins, Leasho Johnson, Ebony G. Patterson, Peter Dean Rickards, Paul Anthony Smith, and Rodell Warner, engage with legacies of slavery, environmental decimation, and ongoing colonial power dynamics, ultimately platforming Caribbean perspectives. Each piece comes together in a multifaceted presentation of the Caribbean as a site of cultural exchange and self-determination. Fragments of Epic Memory is as much an exploration of what was lost as what has survived.    

Through these fragmented glimpses, we are reminded that our collective memory is an interwoven tapestry of existence, connecting us in ways seen and unseen.   

Fragments of Epic Memory is curated by Julie Crooks, PhD, Curator, Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Portland Museum of Art’s presentation is organized by Anjuli Lebowitz, PhD, the Judy Glickman Lauder Associate Curator of Photography.

Fragments of Epic Memory is organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario. 

ABOUT THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART: 

With an extensive collection and nationally renowned exhibitions, the Portland Museum of Art is the cultural heart of Portland, Maine. The PMA boasts significant holdings of American, European, and contemporary art, as well as iconic works from Maine—highlighting the rich artistic tradition of the state and its artists. The museum brings it all to life with unparalleled programming. From special members events, Free School Tours, and a commitment to family activities, to PMA Films, curator talks, and tours of the Winslow Homer Studio—it's all happening at the PMA. 

In 2022, the museum launched The PMA Blueprint: Building a Landmark for the Future, a $100M campus expansion and unification project that will more than double the size of the PMA's campus as well as the museum's economic impact throughout the region. Designed by LEVER Architecture, a new mass timber, landmark building will be a pillar of sustainable design and a catalyst for climate-safe construction in Maine. Sparked by the current growth and diversification of the collection, record attendance and community feedback, and new opportunities to expand and unify its campus, the Portland Museum of Art stands ready to embark on what will be its most ambitious and pioneering era yet. 

ABOUT THE ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO:

Located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists to European masterpieces. The AGO presents wide-ranging exhibitions and programs, including solo exhibitions and acquisitions by diverse and underrepresented artists from around the world. The AGO is committed to being welcoming and accessible: admission is free for anyone under 25 years, and anyone can purchase an annual pass for $35. In 2022, the AGO began the design phase of an expansion project intended to increase exhibition space for the museum’s growing modern and contemporary collection. When construction begins in 2024, it will be the seventh expansion that the AGO has undertaken since it was founded in 1900.  Visit AGO.ca to learn more. 

The AGO is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO Members, donors and private-sector partners.