VISUAL ARTIST Interdisciplinary Artist Jemonique Barnabie

By Yolanda Hanna

The Bahamas on the ‘Road to 50’. Anticipation of the country’s 50th year of independence on July 10, 2023, grows daily, as the nation approaches its Golden Jubilee.

A milestone of this magnitude would be diminished without an in-depth look at the evolution of the Bahamian people post-independence. The long list of diverse, talented, creative Bahamian men and women who have accomplished notable achievements is astounding.

And while the country marches on toward the next 50 years, there’s another name on the horizon who is well on her way to joining that list of notable creative Bahamians, Interdisciplinary Artist Jemonique Barnabie.

At first glance, her unassuming nature, serene demeanour, effervescent smile, and soft voice will quickly make you forget that this brilliant artist gained over one million likes on TikTok during the pandemic.

In 2020, Jemonique posted a video of herself doing an art challenge, in which she had to draw a picture in eleven seconds, using one continuous line without removing her pencil off the page.

She accomplished the challenge in twenty seconds by drawing a very realistic-looking eye in a viral video that racked up over one million likes, 13,000 saves, 673 comments and nearly 2,000 shares.

She got all this attention from drawing an eye!

Clearly, TikTok users were enamoured by Jemonique’s artistic skills, and she continues to use the social media platform to share her artwork with her 45,000 followers.

“The video was a fun art challenge I did during the lockdown. I didn’t think it would go viral,” Jemonique said with a laugh. “TikTok really grew during the pandemic. I was new to the platform and a friend suggested that I start posting videos. The first video I posted got 100 views. I was encouraged by that, so I kept making videos. The art challenge video attracted people to my platform. The digital space has given me an opportunity to share my art with the world and introduce people to my aesthetic.”

Born and raised on Grand Bahama, Jemonique describes her aesthetic as “a dash of realism”. Her work consists of realistic pencil portraits of Black women who have inspired her and landscape paintings that depict the beauty of nature.

“The landscapes in my paintings highlight the beauty that’s around us every day, and what beauty is to me,” she said.

“My subjects in my portraits are strong Black women who I admire. I want people to look at my drawings and feel that I’ve captured the essence of the person.”

And what is the essence of the Bahamian woman?

According to Jemonique, “The essence of the Bahamian woman is power. We make our presence known whenever we walk into a room. We carry ourselves differently and I’m so blessed to be in a culture that is unique.”

The 23-year-old art and music teacher spends her days teaching at a school in Freeport. Many of her students follow her on TikTok. They are motivated by Jemonique’s artwork and her work ethic, and they relate to her youthfulness.

“The students love me, and I must constantly remind them that I’m their teacher! I think that they’re more willing to open up to me because they feel I can relate to whatever they’re going through at that age. I can talk to them on their level because I’m not that far removed from their age group,” she explained.

“They see me on TikTok, drawing and painting, selling my art online, and they realize that art can be a career. I had teachers that encouraged me and assisted me in developing my talent. I love that I’m able to teach and pay it forward.”

And as The Bahamas moves towards celebrating its 50th year of independence, Jemonique proudly appreciates her Bahamian culture and the talented Bahamian artists who paved the way for her and others.

“They walked, so we could run,” she said. “Living and growing up in The Bahamas is all I know. I’m a first-generation Bahamian, this is my culture and, to me, it’s a big deal that we are celebrating our 50th independence in my lifetime. I’m excited to see how we celebrate this milestone as a nation.” UA