Kamar Thomas Jamaica
The Importance of Caribbean Art Stories
"The idea is to show one person in the process of creating their identity one piece of art at a time. It is important to share Caribbean stories so that it is first evident that we are in charge of our story and second that we are responsible for creating that story from whatever cultural raw materials we are exposed to. Just as the motto of Jamaica is Out of Many, One People, it is important to show the stories of one identity being made from many influences wherever they may come from. In the context of a region or a country entering the global economy it is important to insert your own voice."
Kamar Thomas is a Jamaican artist from Port Antonio currently based in Quebec City, Canada. Working primarily in large-scale oil painting and drawing, Thomas’ work explores identity, and specifically black masculinity. His work examines how self-presentation changes through the ideas of masks and performance within a cultural narrative. Thomas’ series Schizophrenic Masculinity draws on the theories of Frantz Fanon and Krista Thompson to consider the inconsistencies in African American identity and the masks black immigrants wear as they perform an identity that represents a mix between the cultures of their home country and the country they currently live in.
Thomas graduated with a MFA from the University of Connecticut in 2016 and a BA from Wesleyan University in 2012. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the US and Jamaica, and in 2017 he was included in the Jamaica Biennial at the National Gallery of Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica.
EDUCATION
2016 MFA Drawing/Painting, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
2012 BA Studio Art with Honors, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 MYTH, Jorgensen Gallery, Storrs, CT, USA
2018 Midas, Keri Gallery, Willimantic, CT, USA
2017 Schizomaica, Herndon Gallery, Yellow Springs, OH, USA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Legacy and Rupture, City Gallery, New Haven CT, USA
2021 BLACK HISTORY Exhibition and Auction, Middletown, CT, USA
2020 PEACE Online Exhibition and Auction, Middletown, CT, USA
2019 NATIVE EYES, Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud Reservation South Dakota, SD, USA
2018 PEACE WALLS, Salomon Arts Gallery, Manhattan, NY, USA
2018 Christmas Group Show, Olympia Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
2018 Sumfest Mall, Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica
2017 Jamaica Biennial, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
2017 Illumination, Hygienic Art Galleries in New London, CT, USA
2016 Divided States, Herndon Gallery, Yellow Springs, OH, USA
2016 Birdseye View, Red Easel Pop-Up Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
2016 Are We All Here, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition, The Benton Museum of Art, CT, USA
2015 Art for Life, Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center, Middletown, CT, USA
2015 Emerging Artists, Drawing Room Gallery, Cos Cob, CT, USA
2015 Something or Other, Student Union Gallery, Storrs, CT, USA
2014 DGAF, Student Union Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
2014 Selfie, Café Central, Port Antonio, Jamaica
2013 Parallax Art Fair, Prince George Hotel Ballroom, Manhattan, NY, USA
2013 Art for Peace, Zelnick Pavilion, Middletown, CT, USA
2012 me, myself and i: Senior Thesis Exhibition,Wesleyan University Middletown, CT, USA
2011 Be the Art, Wesleyan University Middletown, CT, USA
