David Berg

David is a Caribbean native; he lives, shoots, and edits just outside Frederiksted, St Croix, on an old Danish plantation close to his family home. Cultural norms are always subject to change and for various reasons, culture, the way we do things, can become vague, muddled, and perhaps even lost. In my work I strive to distill those essential elements that ground me in this culture and simultaneously create an awareness of the changes that threaten the nostalgic purity of this Island Culture identity. Several of the black and white images shown here examine the historical roots and magical realism of St. Croix’s rich, natural surroundings. While other images represent nostalgia, memories reminiscent of youth, and daily life activities that are generational and for which we hope to remain part of our ever-changing quality of life. I want to bring awareness to my community of what we might be losing of our treasured heritage. David has been exhibiting his work for nearly a decade and has been featured in many shows that center on the African diaspora and the effects of colonialism including “Native View” a 2011 solo show in St. Croix at the Machete Machete Gallery; “Columbus Landing, ColonialComfort,” a 2014 group show in St. Croix and Puerto Rico at the CaribbeanMuseum Center for the Arts (CMCArts) and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo dePuerto Rico; “My Islands Do not Make a Nation” a 2017 group show in Cuba at the cultural institution Casa de las Americas; “Invisible Heritage” a 2017 group show in ST. Croix at CMCArts and in Denmark at the Cultural Embassy, and“Forgotten Lands” a 2018 group show in Brooklyn, NY at the Picture FarmGallery.

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