Shane “Dready” Aquârt

Shane “Dready” Aquârt’s artwork is instantly recognizable for its minimalist yet playful style, shaped by a mix of cultural influences, with his Caribbean heritage always taking centre stage. His illustrations have been widely featured in publications, commercial designs, and interior spaces.

His work Moko Jumbies brings to life two costumed stilt walkers, iconic figures in Caribbean carnival traditions—including Cayman’s own Batabano carnival. Set against a stylized cityscape that hints at colonial architecture, the work reflects a shared, Pan-Caribbean cultural identity. Historically, Moko Jumbies trace their origins to West African spirit world and masquerade traditions. In the Caribbean, they embody the deep spiritual roots of carnival and the resilience of enslaved people, historically representing moments of freedom and self-expression during times of oppression.

Over time, these figures have been reinterpreted in modern and secular contexts—such as in the Trinidadian artist Peter Minshall’s The Dying Swan (2018), where a stilt walker transformed poetically, and provocatively, into an elegantly elongated, male ballerina, and through the work of the Brooklyn Jumbies, an innovative urban performance group based in New York City.

Adapted from: National Gallery of the Cayman Islands website (Shane "Dready" Aquârt - Artist - National Gallery of the Cayman Islands)