By Diana DeJesus —
Nyugen E. Smith’s “Thy Kingdom Come” at the Lemmerman Gallery in Hepburn Hall of NJCU is a series of multi-media pieces inspired by the effects of colonialism on the African decedents of the West Indies.
The gallery features a piece that’s larger than life; tall, abstract and gray; and short, wooden pieces in red and yellow. The walls are lined with images of black men wearing stoic, bearded faces, and a sculpture of bloody limbs that represent the impact colonization had on the islands and their people.
The oil paintings are dense with symbolism related to the history, economic challenges, and religion of the inhabitants of the West Indies.
As you make your way around the gallery, a piece called Heavy is of a bloody, white hand with missing finger tips dangling a pair of black baby shoes as an offering, evoking uncomfortable thoughts. These bloody hands and baby shoes make your stomach turn thinking of the missing children and youth that were affected by Britain’s success settling in the islands of the West Indies during the height of the slave trade.
The West Indies are thought of as islands full of dancing and celebration by American vacationers who island hop during the summer; but its true history is portrayed by Smith with a disturbing reminder of early colonization.
A piece in the center of the room follows a repeated theme of a native islander dressed in judge’s clothes and a traditional white wig. Mr. Judge Man is complete with a gavel and a sign beneath the box he is perched on that reads “Kneel”; it’s made of latex, wood, gesso, wire, cork and acrylic. It is a must see of the “Thy Kingdom Come” series. You can check it out until March 6.