ON-VIEW NOW IN THE MAIN GALLERY

Show Description:
Somewhere Between, the solo exhibition by Virgin Islands artist Augustin Kelvin Holder signals a compelling advancement in abstract Caribbean expressionism. This collection, composed of bold strokes and layered symbolism, invites viewers into a realm where visual storytelling meets philosophical inquiry. Anchored by the presence of Mr. Nocturnal, Holder’s recurring symbolic figure, the exhibition navigates themes of personal myth, diasporic identity, and metaphysical transformation.

In Somewhere Between, Holder questions and redefines the perceived boundaries of the “Caribbean Aesthetic.” Drawing from his evolving dialogue with art theory and lived experience, the artist challenges viewers to see tropical imagery not as stereotype, but as language—one capable of speaking to migration, memory, and modernism. His work vibrates between personal diary and collective dream, abstract form, and sacred code.

This exhibition is a landmark moment in Holder’s decades-long artistic journey, offering new insight into a practice rooted in exploration, resilience, and mystique. Somewhere Between continues our commitment to championing visionary Caribbean artists who break molds and expand narratives.
—The Curators, 81C Arts, June 2025, Charlotte Amalie

Artist statement:
“My artwork is a juxtaposition of the unconscious and conscious mind. Painting in layers allows me to embrace the freedom that is associated with the Abstract Expressionism movement, and I feel the forms and techniques here give the work depth and texture. The intangible aspect of painting is what drives me to create work and my process unfolds naturally when I let my thoughts flow freely. I want my paintings to speak to the viewer long past their initial viewing or introduction. 
Painting for me has always been a natural selection. I will share an anecdote:
An art teacher of mine provided an exercise, and the objective was to paint a flower without using paint. With the teacher’s guidance, we used soil to create a brown color, chlorophyll to create a green hue, and the natural dyes in flower petals to create secondary colors. This experience allowed me to associate art with freedom.”
-Augustin Kelvin Holder, June 2025, Charlotte Amalie 

About the Artist:
Augustin Kelvin Holder is a multidisciplinary artist whose abstract works explore consciousness, identity, and cultural evolution through vivid color and expressive form. 
A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Holder’s artistic development began in the Caribbean and expanded through studies at the University of the Virgin Islands, and expanded further to  the University of Alaska and the University of Hawaii.

Holder spent two decades in New York City, where his immersion in art and culture deepened. He studied at the Art Students League of New York and conducted independent research at the Museum of Modern Art and The Brooklyn Museum. His diverse life experience—as a U.S. Navy veteran, culinary artist, and public servant—informs his visual language and narrative depth.

In the Virgin Islands, Holder has emerged as a powerful voice in contemporary Caribbean abstraction. His work has been exhibited at sevenminuseven, the Crucian Coconut Festival Fine Arts Exhibit, and featured in MOKO Magazine. His past solo exhibitions at 81C, including Beyond the Horizon and Intrepid Journey, reflect themes of transformation, memory, and collective resilience. Holder currently serves as a member of the executive staff under Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach.

Show Description:

In her second solo pop-up exhibition at 81C, emerging artist Ciara Isaac presents a body of work that navigates the intangible spaces between emotion, memory, and abstraction. Through layered compositions and nuanced textures, Isaac invites viewers into a world where feelings are not explained but embodied—where ambiguity is embraced and contradiction becomes the language of expression. Drawing from a deeply introspective practice, her paintings evoke internal landscapes that are at once fragile and bold, restrained and explosive. Each piece resists easy interpretation, instead offering a quiet challenge to the viewer: to linger in the presence of the unspoken. Isaac’s work reveals a refined interplay of color and shadow, structure and dissolution, gesture and stillness. Taken together, the exhibition becomes a meditation on emotional complexity—fluid, shifting, and constantly reconfiguring itself before our eyes.

- The Curators, 81C Arts 

Artist statement:

"In this space where color bleeds into shadow and form dissolves into abstraction, I chase echoes of feelings I cannot fully grasp. My work reflects fragments of thought, fleeting emotions, and silent tensions that elude clear articulation. Each stroke is not meant to define, but to question—not to resolve, but to hold space for the undefined.

I’m drawn to contradictions: chaos within order, fragility within strength, connection amidst isolation. The canvas becomes a vessel for these complexities, a place where I can explore freely without needing to understand. Our emotions are constantly shifting, creating new internal patterns with each turn of experience."
-Ciara Isaac, Juuly 2025, Charlotte Amalie 

About the Artist:
Ciara's  artistic journey started with private lessons and continued after high school when she was accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design. There, she began to develop a strong foundation of the principles of art and design, deepening her understanding of both technique and visual communication.In my early work, I focused on recreating, and remixing popular imagery to demonstrate my technical abilities. As her skills evolved, so did her artistic voice. Soon after, she began to explore more symbolic themes, using  art as a means to express ideas, and emotions that words could not capture. Today, her work is driven by a desire to communicate through visual storytelling, and  blending refined technique with personal meaning.