Curtis Talwst Santiago is a Trinidadian-Canadian visual artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. His upcoming solo show at Gallery MOMO Johannesburg is part of the MOMO Artist Residency (MAR).

His practice explores issues of transculturalism, memory and ancestry in the contemporary Diasporic experience. Talwst’s infinity series of miniature dioramas in reclaimed ringboxes consider the absence of certain narratives in dominant culture and draw on the tradition of storytelling to question the production of historical understanding. The ringboxes are unusually mobile artworks; between exhibitions they close and travel with the artist. Encased in structures that protect and transport precious objects through generations, the ringboxes become symbolic of oral historical practices. The artist’s interest in storytelling, in particular narratives from African and Caribbean culture, informs the tension between the powerful content and miniature scale, which acts as a reflection of the minimization and silencing of these histories.

Talwst is a former apprentice of Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, is attending the New York Studio School, and was an artist in residence at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Talwst has exhibited internationally in solo and group shows including at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Hunter College, Savannah College of Art and Design, Fortnight Institute and the Art Gallery of Mississauga. His work is represented in numerous private collections and his work was recently acquired by the Studio Museum in Harlem.

The residency will culminate in his solo show that will be a continued exploration of transculturalism, memory and ancestory through his miniature dioramas within the context of South Africa.

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www.gallerymomo.com

Curtis Talwst Santiago is a Trinidadian-Canadian visual artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Santiago’s own experience of growing up in Trinidadian household against the backdrop of Canada holds weight within the context of his practice. He is a former apprentice of Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, and exhibited internationally in solo and group shows including at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Hunter College, Savannah College of Art and Design, Fortnight Institute and the Art Gallery of Mississauga.