KINGSTON, Jamaica — A one-of-a-kind collaborative art experience is set to launch in downtown Kingston next week, as the National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) and Scotiabank Jamaica join forces to unveil a brand-new exhibition titled *Of Wood and Water: The Scotiabank Collection*. The opening event is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, starting at 1:30 p.m. at the gallery’s downtown location at 12 Ocean Boulevard, with free entry open to all members of the public.
The exhibition draws its evocative name from Jamaica’s ancestral Taino root, which is widely translated to the “land of wood and water” — a nod to the island’s deep indigenous history that serves as the thematic backbone of the entire showcase. Curators have pulled together more than 40 striking pieces from Scotiabank’s extensive corporate art collection, and paired these works with complementary pieces selected from the National Gallery of Jamaica’s own permanent holdings to create a layered, holistic narrative.
Organized around core geological concepts that mirror the island’s physical and cultural evolution, the exhibition is divided into three distinct thematic sections: superposition, metamorphism, and rupture. Through this structured curation, the collection invites guests to explore how Jamaica’s landscape has been shaped over centuries by shifting, restless natural forces, and to examine the interconnected relationship between the island’s dynamic terrain and the communities that call it home. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with works that reflect both the geographic and the social evolution of Jamaica, rooted in the indigenous identity that has defined the island for millennia.