Brendan Fernandes

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Neva There

2008

 Homecoming- Installation View

 

The series "Neva There" takes inspiration from street posters from the Caribbean.  These signs are used to advertise an event, most likely a party.  Although graphic in nature the handmade signs are somewhat nonsensical; they play on language where the vernacular used becomes code.  The event is never defined, but to some the text reads perfectly and tells all.  I am using this as a device in my work.  At first glance the posters look as though they are adverts for a music event, perhaps a reggae concert.  They bare the colours red, green and gold and use slang and wording that reference Rasta culture, pointing to its philosophies regarding unity, emancipation and revolution.  In the works broken English and Swahili further complicate the text and carry a political edge.  One is left to interpret the language being used to avoid getting lost and find their way to the "event".   

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