Faculty of Art

Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies

Kaylee Meyer

Living in Paradise II

A mixed media collage installation that continues a body of work that critiques and addresses issues of neo-colonialism, imperialism, threats to the environment and other complex issues that stem from Tourism on a small island like Antigua.*NOTE* Please view the previous artwork "Living in Paradise" including the artist's statement and/or research paper. This will provide more insight into this work.

“Living in Paradise II continues a body of work that explores how nature, tourism and neo-colonialism intersect and interact with each other and their overall effects and impact on the Antiguan landscape. Antigua, like many other Caribbean islands, depends on the tourism industry. This work critiques the interconnectedness of tourism, imperialism, and neocolonialism on the economy, threats to the environment, ecosystems and natural resources of this island nation. Employing the techniques of watercolour painting and collage, I use repetition and colour to critique and comment on these issues.In this work, I use black and white images contrasting with traditional watercolours to strip away the stereotypical “colourful” nature of paradise while commenting on the use of watercolour paintings that portray nostalgic views of tropical scenes. These paintings commodify and validate the “island” stereotypes to tourists while disconnecting the real impact their visits have. This cycle of perfect imagery being created and shared along with the accommodation and hospitality we continuously give (tourists) allows them to truly live ignorant and in paradise. ”