FEW OF US REMAIN UNTOUCHED by the sweeping narrative of migration . For those who have left one place for another , fueled by choice or trauma , sustaining the vulnerable threads to homeland is at once , beautiful , disruptive , and evolving .
In the past five decades , migration has defined Guyana . Liminal Space brings together sixteen Guyanese artists living in Guyana and the United States who explore the relationship between migration and the idea of the “ liminal ” — from the Latin limens , which means “ threshold ,” a place of transition , waiting , and unknowing . Working in a variety of mediums , they bear witness to what drives one from a homeland and simultaneously keeps one tethered to it .
Today , more Guyanese live outside Guyana than within its borders — an exodus that began in the 1960s as they looked to the United States for economic and educational opportunities . Guyana now has a population of 750,000 and over one million living in its diaspora . Here in New York , Guyanese are the fifth largest immigrant community . Affectionately known as “ Little Guyana ,” the city has emerged as home to the most significant Guyanese community in the diaspora .
Guyana ’ s legacy of migration reflects the broader emergence of Caribbean people in global metropolises and is symbolic of universal concerns weighing on our hearts and minds : the tensions between place and placelessness , nationality and belonging , immigrant and citizen .
FEATURED ARTISTS Kwesi Abbensetts� Damali Abrams Khadija Benn Victor Davson� Stanley Greaves Carl Hazlewood� Domin�que Hunter� Michael Lam Donald Locke Andrew Lyght� Suchitra Mattai Christie Neptune� Mason Richards Karran Sahadeo Keisha Scarville Arlington Weithers
CURATOR Grace Aneiza Ali
The artists in Liminal Space represent both spectrums of migration : the ones who leave and the ones who are left . They tease out symbols of decay and loss , avoiding trappings of nostalgia by envisioning avenues out of displacement . While their work engages the hard truths of a country defined by constant departure and deemed “ a disappearing nation ,” they equally offer restorative narratives of why this homeland is loved .