Eighteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

“Whipping the Mind” is the title of the artwork done for the Grenadian pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale from April to November 2022. The art explores a cultural ritual, Shakespeare Mas, integral to Carriacou’s intangible heritage and identity. Carriacou is the second largest tri-Island state of Grenada in the southern Caribbean, with a population of 9,595. The Mas are performed yearly during the island’s carnival celebrations. The performance is unique to Carriacou and has always been admired by its people and visitors. Two performers are dressed in colourful costumes and wear face masks to disguise one’s identities. They recite Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to each other, and the one who fails to repeat the verses of Shakespeare’s plays correctly would be whipped with a bull’s pizzle by the other performer. Using the bull’s pizzle as a whip in the performance aroused my curiosity. Thus, the paper ponders over the Whip’s significance in the performance and society as a means of settling scores during the performance among members of the Carriacou communities. The Whip is also used to instill learning, not just in the recital of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar verses but within schools and homes. The paper further argues that the performance consists of meanings that evade one’s consciousness, despite the harmful effect of the Whip in society. The paper contends that the visual arts can deconstruct cultural phenomena to uncover hidden meanings other than the celebrations of a unique cultural identity.