ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dyah Neilson (b. 1996, Nassau, The Bahamas) is a visual artist who works primarily in painting and drawing. In 2018, she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Art in Visual Art from York University in Canada, and returned to Nassau. Preferring fast drying mediums, she works in acrylic paint and coloured pencil, utilizing a dry brush technique. She has participated in exhibitions in Toronto and The Bahamas, and is in notable collections including the Dawn Davies Collection.

Her practice is deeply inspired by natural and social histories and the metaphorical symbols that are ingrained in these histories. Neilson’s iconography is grounded in the Bahamian landscape, the natural and fabricated. She juxtaposes these elements to explore femininity, spirituality, object relationship, and obscurity. Her arrangements, whether still lives or portraits, explore the environment’s influence on our perception and invite the audience into deeper consideration of the prominence of each rendered object.

Curriculum Vitae

 

Education

2018   Bachelor of Fine Arts, York University, Toronto, Ontario

Major in Visual Arts

Solo Exhibitions

2024 Small Tings, The Current: Eccho, Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas

2024 Tingsy, CAB Gallery & Studio, Nassau, Bahamas

2019 Love and Fear, Doongalik Studios Art Gallery, Nassau, Bahamas

Group Exhibitions

2022    Five, Tern Gallery, Nassau, Bahamas

2022    Salt & Earth, The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, Nassau, Bahamas

2021    Overhead Bin, The Current Baha Mar Gallery & Art Center, Nassau, Bahamas

2019   Refuge, The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas

2019   Small Works, The Current Baha Mar Gallery & Art Center, Nassau, Bahamas

2019   Young Artists of The Bahamas, Doongalik Studios Art Gallery, Nassau, Bahamas

2019   Chan Pratt Inspiration, Sapodilla Restaurant and Bar, Nassau, Bahamas

2018   Tell Them We’re Here, Gallery 1313, Toronto, Ontario

2017   Tell Them We’re Not Here… Yet, Special Projects Gallery, York University, Toronto, Ontario

artist Residencies

2024 The Current:Eccho, Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas

Awards

2012   Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education for Art

2009   Governor General’s Choice Award | Central Bank of the Bahamas Annual Art Competition

2008   Bahamas Junior Certificate for Art

Bibliography

2021 Love & Responsibilities 2, The Dawn Davies Collection of Art, D. Davies, Edited by E. James PhD.

2013   The Minstrel, Redeemer University College Creative and Interpretive Arts Fall 2013

2014   The Minstrel, Redeemer University College Creative Arts Magazine 2014

2017   Smith & Benjamin’s Bahamian Art & Culture eMagazine Issue No. 312

2017   Smith & Benjamin’s Bahamian Art & Culture eMagazine Issue No. 319

2018   Smith & Benjamin’s Bahamian Art & Culture eMagazine Issue No. 355

Collections

Central Bank of the Bahamas

Goldwynn Resorts and Residences, Nassau, The Bahamas

The Dawn Davies Collection, Nassau, The Bahamas

The D’Aguilar Art Foundation, Nassau, The Bahamas

Private Collection, Hope Town, Abaco, The Bahamas

Private Collection, Toronto, Ontario

Private Collection, California, USA