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