Barbadian artist Sheena Rose.
Photo courtesy Alice Yard and Marlon Griffith

Barbadian artist Sheena Rose presented her animated video work Town at Alice Yard, Woodbrook, Port-of-Spain, on May 29. The 23-year-old Rose is a graduate of the Barbados Community College and has been involved in animation work for almost one year.

She is a self-taught new media artist whose work deals with people and their lives. As such, she highlights issues through animation. According to Rose, “The primary focus of my animation is something that I can arguably say everyone struggles with, and that is...constantly thinking about our daily problems.”

She believes that there are not many times during the day when people’s minds are at rest. “We are always dwelling on something that we need to do, a broken relationship—how we are going to manage paying the electricity bill as well as buying new school uniforms at the end of the month; not driving the car unnecessarily because gas costs more nowadays.

“I am interested in the daily lives of Barbadian people, especially with what is going on in their minds...” she stated. Since graduating she has shown her work at the Zemicon Gallery and in the Sign of the Times digital art exhibition at Queen’s Park in Bridgetown. The talented young woman would like to travel some more and become an international artist.

More Information
Rose was commissioned to produce an animated video as part of the Black Diaspora Visual Arts Symposium and Exhibition, curated by David A Bailey in
February 2009. Her participation at Alice Yard was funded in part by the United Nations Development Programme, Barbados; and the OECS.