Bermuda National Gallery Hosts Biennial Preview
The Bermuda National Gallery recently hosted its Members’ Preview of the 2026 Bermuda Biennial, attended by approximately 200 guests.
A spokesperson said, “Two hundred people attended the Bermuda National Gallery’s Members’ Preview of the 2026 Bermuda Biennial on Friday, September 25. Guests enjoyed a custom cocktail by Goslings inspired by one of the artworks on display and heard from Akili Tommasino, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Met, who, together with Julie Crooks, Curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, co-curated this year’s Biennial.
“Titled Siren Songs, the 2026 Bermuda Biennial presents new works by 34 local artists – almost half of whom are new to the Biennial – and heralds a new chapter for the long-running exhibition under the title sponsorship of the Green Family.”
“We are profoundly grateful to the Green Family for their generous sponsorship of the Bermuda Biennial,” says Executive Director Jennifer L. Phillips. “Their support marks an important milestone and builds upon a valued relationship between the family and the Bermuda National Gallery spanning more than thirty years. This enduring connection is rooted in a shared belief not only in the importance of art as a source of community dialogue, education and engagement, but also in the critical role the Bermuda Biennial plays in our island’s cultural landscape.”
“After four generations of our family calling Bermuda home, our commitment to this ‘cultural jewel’ is an exciting new journey. We believe that art is a transformative force—one that inspires dialogue, fosters empathy, and strengthens the fabric of our society,” say Alexander Green and Andrew Green.
The spokesperson said, “Established in 1994 and first juried by the late American painter Janet Fish, the Biennial has been a cornerstone for Bermuda’s contemporary artists for over three decades. The 2026 Bermuda Biennial presents a wide range of disciplines, including painting, photography, sculpture, installation and film. The exhibition also includes selections from the Bermuda National Gallery’s permanent collection for the first time.”
“We explicitly did not want to just present a snapshot of artistic activity by Bermudians over the past two years. We wanted to show how those activities are related to the longer history of art in Bermuda,” says Akili Tommasino. “The title for the exhibition is Siren Songs. This comes from thinking about the origin myth of the discovery of Bermuda coming out of a shipwreck. The submission of works bore out the theme and ratified the concept. Bermuda’s origin myth is that sailors would hear the shrieks of the cahow bird, one of the few endemic species in Bermuda. They associated them with the mythological sirens that could lure sailors to crash to their death. The selection includes works that allude to various forms that the siren takes on.”
He explains, “There is the concept of a winged siren. Then there’s also the siren that is more like a mermaid. In a loose, poetic way, the selection of works from the permanent collection both trace markers of Bermuda’s art history, which is shaped not only by works that are made in Bermuda, but the works that were collected in Bermuda. We go back even to the Italian Renaissance with the earliest work, which is part of the founding collection of the Bermuda National Gallery. These works that are very much about historical happenings in Bermuda have echoes that continue into works being made now. That sets the stage for the exploration of new works.”
The spokesperson said, “Featured artists: Alex Allardyce, Meredith Andrews, Nike Bada, Nadiyah Brown, Jordan Carey, Eli Cedrone, James Cooper, Morgan Dagata, Dan Dempster, Omar Dill, Afnan Farooqui, Catherine Finsness, Alyson Thompson and Jayde Gibbons, Shanna Hollis and Yesha Townsend, Phoebe Hughes, Antoine AR Hunt, Christina Hutchings, Cynthia Kirkwood, Jasmine Lee, Teresa Lee, Kevin Morris, Piran Strange, Lilly Ralston, Corrina Rego, Edwin M.E. Smith, Chyna Talbot, Otto Trott, Kristy Warren and Ami Zanders, Telilah Wears, Jahbarri A. Wilson, Charles Zuill.
“The 2026 Bermuda Biennial is on display at the Bermuda National Gallery through to March. Exhibition sponsored by the Green Family. Admission is free and made possible by The Christian Humann Foundation. For further information visit www.bng.bm.”
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