Courtney Hogarth's 'Black Earth'

Race, identity and, more generally, people and their circumstances in life, are the main themes the artist explores. In 'Face of Jamaica (2010)', for example, he paints an intimate image of violence, pain and resistance. Bullets and nails are penetrating a man's head and are coming out towards the viewer. He is confronting his fate with bleeding yet widely opened eyes. Red blood cells in a large open wound on his forehead and blood spilling out of his mouth fortify his burden. Along this brutality, the use of the nails plays with traditional Christian iconography of the crucifixion thereby symbolising suffering and sacrifice. A third eye implies the man's state of higher consciousness. Clearly, the work's subject matter speaks to Jamaica's murder rate, whereas its medium and technique display the long tradition of classical Chinese painting. The artist, who holds a doctoral degree in that discipline from the Central Academy in Beijing, imports his materials from China, in particular the special paper, brushes, ink and colours. An important part of each work is the seal usually bearing his signature in Chinese letters, a pictograph or the title that he carves himself.

The show includes paintings from the Black Earth and 'Colour Line' series as well as some independent works. The title Black Earth is drawn from the essentially black colour of the soil and the Chinese ink that is the essential component of each work. Influenced by W.E.B. DuBois' thinking, the Colour Line series raises the issue of racialised skin colour and its effect on people.

Fascinated by graphic elements

Hogarth, who hails from Clarendon, has been interested in China since he was a child. He was fascinated by the graphic elements of the written script and Chinese philosophy, especially Taoism. After he graduated from the Edna Manley College in 1997, where he majored in graphic design, he received a scholarship to pursue studies at Beijing's Central Academy. His primary interest, he explained, very much lies in the classical Chinese world. "I have made a conscious decision to distance myself from contemporary politics," he adds.

Some viewers may find stylistic influences of older Jamaican artists such as Christopher Gonzalez or Edna Manley in his work. Hogarth, however, argued, "I am influenced more by music than by other artists. I am trying to develop a language that will help to deliver my own thoughts and feelings. classical Chinese painting, along with my own Jamaican background, offers that language."

The exhibition will be on view at Olympia Gallery, 202 Old Hope Road, until Saturday. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. Call 927-1608 for more info.