Anina Major is a visual artist from the Bahamas whose work investigates the relationships between self and place as a way of cultivating moments of reflection and a sense of belonging. Her decision to voluntarily establish a home contrary to the location in which she was born and raised motivates her to investigate the relationship between self and place as a site of negotiation. By utilising the vernacular of craft to reclaim experiences and relocate displaced objects, her practice exists at the intersection of nostalgia, and identity. Often taking form in a wide range of media, including installation, sculpture, time-based video, and performance, it references tropical ecologies as well as historical and contemporary ethnography. Her work unpacks the emotional complexities inherent to the transcultural dialogue that surfaces when mapping the migration of traditions versus foreign influences. Through her making, Major acts as a cultural strategist and works to inspire critical dialogue around developing cultural identities and building the appropriate platforms for this discourse.
Anina Major holds an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies, including the 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellowship, the Lighton International Artists Exchange Program (LIAEP) Award, and the EKWC,Centre-of-excellence for ceramics international artist-in-residency. Her work has been exhibited in The Bahamas, across the United States, and Europe and featured in permanent collections that include the National Gallery of The Bahamas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.