The mysteries of the false cardinal: The last place on earth/The edge of all things
by Nikolai Noel

The mysteries of the false cardinal: The last place on earth/The edge of all things was the eighth solo exhibition by artist Nikolai Noel. The exhibition was staged at Medulla Art Gallery, Woodbrook, Port of Spain and ran from November 22, 2018 to January 10, 2019.

The primary works that made up this exhibition began as an exercise, and a way for avoiding rendering human figures. Drawing sea monsters as allegory for bodies that were (culturally) shrouded, unclear and subsequently met with fear and distrust was initially intended to describe people of colour from the West Indies. However, as the work developed sea monsters became a useful allegorical outlet from which to explore feelings of fear, anxiety, anger and confusion brought on by instances of unarmed African Americans being killed by security forces within the United States with little to no repercussions from the state. Those fears about ‘place’ and ‘standing’ are compounded for people of colour who may not enjoy the visibility of those that live in global centers like the United States. The work became an investigation of being benign and horrible, drawing attention to the balance between belonging and being alien in the West.

Other Links:

https://newsday.co.tt/2018/11/18/on-the-edge/

http://www.lime.tt/2018/11/medulla-art-gallery-presents-the-last-place-on-earth-the-edge-of-all-things-by-nikolai-noel/

https://medium.com/the-yard/its-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-6cfdc096d287