Charles Long

Charles Long was born in West Africa and spent his early years in Swaziland and England. He studied at Farnham School of Art before moving to the Cayman Islands in the late 1960s. Long acted as a founding member of the pivotal Visual Arts Society, serving as its first secretary.

This painting by Charles Long captures the lively atmosphere outside the Islander Theatre, a beloved community hub in 1970s Cayman. Commonly known as "Bush’s Theatre" or “Bushy’s” after its owner, Mr. Berkley Bush, the venue served as a social hotspot where friends, families and strangers of all ages gathered to connect, socialise, and enjoy a night out. Long’s depiction, full of movement, energy and colour, effectively captures the spirit of a time when public spaces played a central role in social life.

Much like a visual time capsule, the work explores the significance of mundane places and activities within the fabric of personal and collective histories, remembered for the joy, connection, and community they once held. Oft-deemed the ‘chronicler of our times’, Long’s body of work, including this piece, captures the complexity of Caymanian society through his depictions of everyday scenes, asserting the importance of daily rituals in the formation of cultural identity and history.

Biography adapted from National Gallery of the Cayman Islands website: (https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/artist/charles-long/)