On April 27, 2014, Ebony G. Patterson staged Invisible Presence: Bling Memories during Jamaica’s Carnival. This participatory performance intervention sought to interrupt the space of the visible with that of the invisible. In Jamaica, socio-economic divides are apparent in the island’s Carnival, where middle and upper class residents frolic in the streets. Using the space of the Carnival as a platform and the bling funeral as a gesture, Invisible Presence: Bling Memories inserted and asserted a moment of presence for those who may not otherwise have agency to do so themselves. Bling funerals are a growing popular practice in Kingston’s working class communities; proclaiming one of the most powerful declarations of individuality: You may not have noticed me when I was alive, but you will damn well see me as I Ieave. Invisible Presence: Bling Memories was commissioned for the exhibition En Mas’: Carnival and Performance Art of the Caribbean co-curated by Claire Tancons and Krista Thompson.

In her work, the Jamaica-born mixed-media artist Ebony G. Patterson recontextualizes gender norms and explores Jamaican dancehall culture. She creates highly entrancing, colorful pieces. Patterson represents the transformations of gender and body politics by blending tapestry, beading, sequins, crochet, and Internet-sourced images of violent murders. The resulting pieces seduce the viewer with mesmerizing, striking textures. “I’m hoping … to pull the viewer in to see further and raise questions about how we engage in the act of looking,” she has said. Patterson’s work thus elicits a civic awareness that raises the stakes for popular culture as a whole.