Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow:
JUNKANOOACOME

FiveMyles, 558 St Johns St, Brooklyn, NY 11238
August 6—September 4, 2022

 

Co-curated by Hanne Tierney and Klaudia Ofwona Draber

A celebration of 60 years of Jamaican Independence

In partnership with FiveMyles

 

Jamaican-American multi-disciplinary artist Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow presents costumes, prints, and textile pieces created as part of her ongoing, multi-year performance project, JUNKANOOACOME. This work is informed by her research on Junkanoo, a pre-abolition, pan-Caribbean satirical masquerade and ritual created by enslaved Africans confronting slave-masters.

Junkanoo was traditionally performed around Christmas - the only time of year when enslaved Africans were allowed celebrations - and was named after John Konny (or John Canoe), an 18th century Akan warrior. For seven years, Konny defended his land, current-day Ghana, against Dutch and British invasion.

Lyn-Kee-Chow explores and re-creates the Jamaican Junkanoo characters (Junkanooacome means "Junkanoo is coming" in Jamaican patois), reviving the ritual in 21st century New York and addressing the remnants of slavery displayed throughout the City's historical landmarks. She also seeks to bring back the celebration at different times of the year. The exhibition begins on Jamaican Independence Day, and celebrates the 60th anniversary of Jamaican independence from British colonial rule.

 

Artist Bio

Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow is a Jamaican-American interdisciplinary artist based in NYC. Her work has been presented at venues including 798 Beijing, China, Queens Museum, NY,  Royal West Academy of England, The National Gallery of Jamaica,  and Bronx Museum, NY. Lyn-Kee-Chow earned an MFA from Hunter College CUNY, NY.  She co-authored Living Histories of Sugar in the Caribbean and Scotland: Transnationalisms, Performance and Co-creation, a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and presented in Kingston, JA, and Greenock and Edinburgh in Scotland (2022). Other accolades include Franklin Furnace Fund (2017-18), Culture Push Fellowship for Utopian Practice (2018), Bronx Museum AIM Fellowship (2024), KODA Residency, Governors Island, NY (2023-), Residency Unlimited (2023), Wave Hill Winter Workspace (2022), NYSCA New York State Council on the Arts Award (2025), and the inaugural artist fellowship of Triangle Arts (2022). Publications include The New York Times, Hyperallergic, White Hot Magazine, and Artsy. 

​

Website: www.jodielynkeechow.com

Instagram: @lynkeeart