Paradise Omeros

Taking its inspiration, and part of its title, from Derek Walcott’s Homeric epic poem ‘Omeros’, this installation is both a development and a refinement in the artist-filmmaker’s work. On a formal level, the subtle use of split-screen indicates a new confidence and daring in the desire to explore and integrate elements of narrative into the gallery space. On a thematic level, the installation explores the diaspora experience of a young Caribbean every-boy who moves from Julien’s native St Lucia to the bleak London of the 1950s. This is a fascinating work exploring the highly expressive possibilities of choreographed movement within and across the three split screens of the frame, as well as evoking a sense of mythical, poetic time shifting and whispering between past and present.Paradise Omeros is presented at the Boijmans van Beuningen Musuem.