2020 Vision: Lockdown Experiences from the Cayman Islands is a new online exhibition by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, developed in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Government’s Covid-19 Commemorative Project. It seeks to explore our community’s diverse experiences of lockdown – reflecting how we, individually and collectively, are dealing with this unique moment in our history.

Developed from a country-wide ‘Open Call’ for photographs in late 2020, 42 photographers feature in the exhibition and their images capture a broad view of life in Cayman both during lockdown and as restrictions had begun to ease. Three major themes emerged through the camera’s lens: Home/Family Life, Wellness/Outdoor Time, and Community. Home/Family Life captures the domestic environment: working from home, spending time with family, online learning, and time for reflection. Wellness/Outdoor Time illustrates the importance of connecting to the natural environment even if limited to the 90 minutes daily allowance. Once restrictions were lifted enough to allow these excursions, many appreciated the ability to once again go on walks and be immersed in our outdoor surroundings. The final category of Community reflects the various experiences of being out in the community at large, whether that be shopping for groceries, receiving healthcare, witnessing the bravery of frontline workers, and the essential service providers that continued to support residents during lockdown. While many of these lockdown events are now in the past-tense in Cayman, we recognise that this state of affairs is an ongoing experience for many across the globe. Our unique position consequently allows our community to reflect on these situations while we continue our efforts in keeping our islands safe.

“We are living through unprecedented times both locally and on a global scale. As our community continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and its aftereffects, documenting our experiences is incredibly important,” says the joint statement. “These personal photographs of how the pandemic has affected daily life will help us keep a record of what it was like to live through these times – both the challenges we have faced as individuals and as a community, and the resilience of our people throughout. We are grateful to all of the participating photographers for sharing their experiences via the exhibition.”

Featured photographers include: Claire Birchall, Lennon Christian, Lisa Collins, Julie Corsetti, Ayana Dacres, Mariasol Danziger, Thaís de Souza, Ryan Carlo J. Dumaguing, Al Ebanks, Sheree Ebanks, Shane Nobee Edwards, Jim Gates, Svitlana Gilyun, Cassandra Greene, Francis Guevarra, Heather Holt, Christopher Humphries, Joanna Humphries, Maggie Jackson, Paige Jordison, Whippet McCallum, Destinie McField, David McGibbon, Bridget McPartland, Heather Meinen, Tiyen Miller, Phillippa Miller, Jenna Nicholson, Alysha Pearson, Lori Peterson, Kaiman Photo (Kris), Nikole Poirier, Graziela Portela, Rebecca Raige, Lisa Reid, Elizabeth Riley, Dione Scotland Rivero, Brandee Romanica, Simone Scott, Tricia Sybersma, Davina Valaydon, Michaela Walker, and Tony Walton.

The online exhibition can be viewed via the following linkhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/whats-on/exhibitions/2020-vision/ until May 31. This exhibition is designed as an ongoing project and the Cayman Islands community is invited to continue submitting works, with a short description and contact details, around one or more of the central themes. These will continue to be uploaded for the duration of the exhibition. Select images will also appear in the Cayman Islands Government Covid-19 Commemorative publication project. For more information email project coordinator Paige Jordison at [email protected].

The National Gallery also continues to host several onsite exhibitions with free admission, and a busy programme of related events, lectures and workshops. For more information about these please visithttps://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/whats-on/ or call (345) 945 8111.