The Tern Gallery in Nassau (Bahamas) is hosting its first solo exhibition titled Augmented Archives, which features a series of digitally augmented photographs by Trinidadian multimedia artist Rodell Warner, curated by Lauren Perez. A combination of archival imagery and animated digital objects set in the 20th-century in the Caribbean, Augmented Archives explores Warner’s ongoing investigation of Caribbean archives, responding to a fragile collective memory of the past, on view until May 14.
An ongoing investigation of representation, history and society, Augmented Archives includes a compilation of three different bodies of work. The exhibition text reads: “combining digital animations and sound, the video prints reflect a newly colourised and digitised representation of mostly Black and white photographs — with a majority of the works appearing in colour for the first time at Tern.”

Warner has said about the exhibiton, “I've found a way to give form to what I've come to think of as the hidden interiority of the subjects of the photos — those invisible dimensions of their lives that resisted or escaped or were omitted from the archive.” “My intention is to "invite people to find out what they might see in these colourised, digitised, perhaps fictionalised versions of rare images from the Caribbean's past.”

The artist's work channels the intersection of art, photography, and technology. Through his exploration and rediscovery, he creates a multidimensional approach to his work. He aspires to reveal the stories and cultures of the individuals depicted in the images, bridging Caribbean past and present. Utilising digital intervention, Warner simultaneously challenges and repairs the digital Caribbean archive, interrupting the narratives of the original photographs.

Rendering photographs from familial repositories and digitally sourced archives, he creates active representations of Caribbean history. Framed by intimate, familial narratives, the artist’s imaginative video prints offer a contemporary view into Caribbean art, depicting familiar subjects. As an intimate collection of animated images, his video prints feature vibrant kaleidoscopic motion, bringing a positive light to figures whose lives were guarded by a dark past.
Augmented Archives will open on March 4 and will be on view until May 14 at the Tern Gallery in Nassau (Bahamas).
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Augmented Archive 004, Colorized, 2020 - Still from video - Frame 47
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Augmented Archive 013, Colorized, 2020 - Still from video - Frame 02 - Original photo by Paul Reboux in Santiago, Cuba ca. 1919
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Family and Friends no.4 _ 2017 - Still from Video - Frame 38
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Augmented Archive 020, Colorized, 2020 - Still from video - Frame 27
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Augmented Archive 014, Colorized, 2020 - Still from video - Frame 03
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Family and Friends no.1 _ 2017 - Still from Video - Frame 50
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Family and Friends no.5 _ 2017 - Still from Video - Frame 7
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Family and Friends no.2 _ 2017 - Still from Video - Frame 38
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Family and Friends no.3 _ 2017 - Still from Video - Frame 45