Behind all the viscosity and groove is a philosophy that says in the horror of these times there's an antidote. From drab little villages of concrete stalls and portable generators comes this message-bearing music that says you can `play back` disaster, that you can transform it, take death and horror and turn it into a wheel and turn it into a carousel.

- Robert Farris Thompson

The creative act of making something out of nothing is the sacred task of artists. They can see the beauty in the discarded and are able to make castles out of rubble. Artists are able to transform tragedy into an opportunity for growth and rebirth. They are the architects of being, building community in times of crisis and reclaiming what has been lost to nurture the neglected. They have the vision and inventive spirit to help us reimagine a better place and future.

Rebirth of the Spirit  is a group exhibition created in response to the 2017 hurricane season and its aftermath as we work towards rebuilding a stronger, more healthy and sustainable Virgin Islands. The show is inspired by Robert Farris Thompson’s Flash of the Spirit , a seminal work that examines the roots of African traditions in the New World and the spiritual and social function of art. The exhibition showcases how various artforms can bring people together around important issues as well as the healing and transformative power of art. A collaboration between curator Monica Marin and Peachcan gallerist Felicia Farrante, it features artists from and/or living in the Virgin Islands whose work embodies the characteristics of risk- taking and improvisation. Bold and brave in their practice, and often inventive in their use of found materials, the work embodies and evokes a spiritual essence in its dreamlike quality, symbolism, and abstracted nature.

As part of this exhibition, we engage audiences through a multimedia presentation that activates the streets of Christiansted with public art, featuring visual art, sculpture, music, dance and film. The exhibition includes work by Jon Euwema, Christina Gasperi, Luca Gasperi, Gerville Larsen, Eric Paxton, Gabriel Stephen, Niarus Walker, and Mike Walsh.

Monica Marin,

Curator