Newsday Trinidad & Tobago announced that Nadine Prada’s exhibition—“Origin Stories”— opens at Studio Joli on November 1, from 5:00 to 8:00pm. The exhibition runs until November 13, 2025. The gallery is located at 21 Henry Pierre Street, St James, Trinidad.
International artist Nadine Prada returns to Studio Joli for the follow-up to last years successful exhibition. The new body of work is titled Origin Stories, where the artist continues to explore her undeniable connection to the land of her birth.
Although born in Trinidad, Prada moved to Canada with her family at a young age. Despite having spent most of her life there, this artist’s roots remained firmly planted in Trinidad and Tobago, said a media release.
She says, “over the past few years I’ve discovered just how strong the umbilical pull of my birthplace is, and how much it shapes my identity and my art.”
Prada returned to TT in 2024, after a 20 year absence. She says, “Reconnecting with family and friends, sharing old stories and belly laughs, it felt like I was being welcomed back by my people and by the island herself. The warm, humid air was a kiss on my skin. The salt spray and bump of the speed boat as it careened along the waves Down the Islands told my body I had returned on a cellular level. The spectacular beauty and enduring mystery of Caroni Swamp, the scarlet ibises and pink flamingoes flying home to roost among the mangrove trees, made me look more deeply at my roots.”
This brought her thoughts to her grandmother. “I wanted to honour my ancestry – the place where my navel string is buried. My grandmother’s hands were always moving, always crocheting doilies that I overlooked for a long time, because they were everywhere growing up. I wanted to find a way to use their textures and patterns in my art. Through a friend’s suggestion, I embedded them in clay and used the fired pieces as stamps to transfer the beautiful textures as the foundation of my work. [. . .]
“Origin Stories” opens on November 1 from 5 pm-8 pm. The exhibition runs until November 13 during the hours, 10 am-6 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am-2 pm on Saturdays. at the studio, 21 Henry Pierre Street, St James.
For further info call 705-7907 or 705-7909, or e-mail studiojoli.tt@gmail.com; visit Facebook and Instagram or www.studiojoli.net
For full article and beautiful photos of Parada’s work, see https://newsday.co.tt/2025/10/28/nadine-prada-returns-to-studio-joli-with-origin-stories/ Also see https://www.studiojoli.net/current-exhibition (Thanks, Sabina!)
[Shown above: Nadine Prada’s “Wild Ginger Emergence” and “Boats at Maracas.”]