Tavares Strachan

Strachan's practice explores the intersection of art, science, and the environment, and encompasses collaborations with numerous organizations and institutions.

Biography of Tavares Strachan

Tavares Strachan was born in 1979 in  Nassau, Bahamas. As a child, he was introduced to the arts through his family’s participation in Junkanoo, an annual parade and cultural celebration featuring live music, dance, and intricately crafted costumes created by competing groups.

Originally a painter, Strachan earned his Associate of Fine Arts degree from the College of the Bahamas in 1999. In 2000, he relocated to the United States to join the glass department at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he embarked on more conceptual projects.

After graduating with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003, the artist pursued an MFA in Sculpture at Yale University, which he completed in 2006.

In 2013, Tavares Strachan represented the Bahamas at the 55th Venice Biennale.

Throughout his career, the artist has received numerous awards, grants, and accolades, including:

• Governor’s Award, The Governor General of the Bahamas (1998);
• Queen Elizabeth Arts/Poetry Award (2000);
• Distinguished Student Award, RISD (2003);
• Alice B. Kimball Fellowship (2006);
• Grand Arts Residency Fellowship (2007);
• Tiffany Foundation Grant (2008);
• LACMA Art + Technology Lab Artist Grant (2014);
• Frontier Art Prize (2018);
• MacArthur Foundation Grant (2022).

Strachan's works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions held at various galleries and museums worldwide, including Anthony Meier in San Francisco, Central Bank Gallery in Nassau, Daniel Weinberg Gallery in Los Angeles, Dvir Gallery in Tel Aviv, Fergus McCaffrey in St. Barthélemy, Friedman Benda Gallery in New York, MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, Rossi & Rossi in London, among others.

Currently, the artist lives and works between New York City, US and Nassau, Bahamas.

Tavares Strachan's Art Style

Strachan's artistic practice explores the intersections of art, science, and politics, presenting uniquely synthesized perspectives on the cultural dynamics of scientific knowledge. Themes such as aeronautics, astronomy, deep-sea exploration, and extreme climatology serve as arenas from which the artist creates monumental allegories, addressing themes of cultural displacement, human aspiration, and mortal limitation.

Themes of invisibility, displacement, and loss form the core of Strachan's work, challenging historically canonized narratives that marginalize or obscure others. His neon sculptures, infused with text, serve as a poignant reflection of our current political and cultural climate, aiming to mobilize community and societal change through a powerful lexicon.