As the 61st La Biennale di Venezia approaches, two seasoned Grenadian artists with more than three decades of collective creative experience each are putting the finishing touches on an innovative new body of work that will anchor Grenada’s national pavilion at the world’s most prestigious international art exhibition. Chris Mast and Lilo Nido, both long-time staples of Grenada’s contemporary art scene, have crafted a collaborative presentation that weaves together their distinct individual artistic trajectories while highlighting their shared commitment to exploring materiality, place and emotional connection through their practice.
Chris Mast, an alumna of Humboldt State University (now California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt), has built her reputation on a bold assemblage practice that centers found and upcycled materials. She transforms discarded everyday objects into layered, thought-provoking visual narratives, drawing constant inspiration from close observation of the world around her and reinterpreting overlooked items to carry new meaning. Across her decades of practice, Mast has refined this approach to create work that bridges ecological awareness and visual storytelling.
Her collaborator Lilo Nido is a photographer and multimedia artist whose practice is shaped by decades of global travel that have deeply influenced her creative perspective. Guided by intuition and emotional resonance, Nido subscribes to the core belief that art can transcend cultural divides, that heartfelt creation speaks a universal language that resonates across audiences. In recent years, she has expanded her practice beyond photography to include evolving experimental textile works that lean into this philosophy.
What unites both artists’ practices beyond their shared connection to Grenada’s creative community is a deep exploration of handpainted batik, a traditional textile art form that both creators reimagine through a contemporary lens. They merge the tactile, centuries-old tradition of batik with modern expressive techniques, creating a dialogue between contrasting artistic approaches: Mast’s structured, material-focused assemblage works converse with Nido’s intuitive, spontaneous multimedia practice, resulting in a presentation that balances discipline and creative risk.
Both artists have previously shown work both individually and collectively in multiple exhibitions organized by the Grenada Arts Council (GAC), which supports the Grenada Pavilion’s participation in the Venice Biennale. This marks the ninth time Grenada has hosted a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale overall since it first joined the event in 2015: six of these pavilions have been presented during the international art exhibition, with three featured during the parallel architecture Biennale. For 2024, their new collaborative work marks both a continuation of each artist’s individual creative journey and a powerful point of convergence, where decades of experience, experimental curiosity and the unique context of Grenada’s creative landscape intersect to welcome a global audience of art lovers to Grenada’s ninth presentation at the iconic event.