Mar 19 - May 2, 2026
The Underside
Delton Barrett
Keith Thompson
Their second time showcasing together at TERN, “The Underside” brings together the works of Bahamian painter Keith Thompson and Bahamian–Jamaican photographer Delton Barrett. The artists invite viewers to look beneath the glossy surface of tourist imagery and into the lived realities of The Bahamas as they employ literal gloss materials—varnish and resin—traditionally used to heighten beauty and obscure flaws. Here, that shine becomes a strategy of critique, mirroring how the nation is polished for consumption while the fractures beneath are carefully concealed.
Against the fantasy of an endless tropical pastoral paradise, Thompson’s paintings insist on the presence of urban density, shadowed interiors, and psychological weight. Barrett’s photographs extend this tension through a fractured gaze shaped by migration and belonging. Together, Thompson and Barrett expose what much of the Bahamian national dialogue works to conceal: lives lived under constant pressure, identities flattened by service economies, and a nation far more complex than the paradise it sells.
Whether it is a view generated by tourism, by the government, in its desire to sell a “success story”; or by the ex-pats and more privileged Bahamians who work hard to unsee, “The Underside” asks viewers to sit with discomfort, to recognize the cost of beauty, and to acknowledge the layered, shadowed realities that exist beneath the shine. Opening Thursday, March 19th, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, “The Underside” will remain on view through May 2nd, 2026.
Read the full exhibition text here.
Delton Barrett
A first-generation Bahamian-Jamaican, Delton Barrett (b. 1991) is a fine art photographer concerned with surrealist perspectives. His passion for photography began in 2010 while working in construction with his father. Dedicating his practice to the rejection of tradition, Barrett uses himself as subject to create rich, vibrant, and bold photographs. Each image relays the emotions, concepts, and ideas inspired by twenty-first-century island life.
Keith Thompson
Keith Thompson (b. 1996) is a studio artist, curator, and framer from Nassau, The Bahamas. He pursued an Associate of Arts degree at the College of the Bahamas (now University of The Bahamas). His painting reflect his experiences growing up in a neighborhood shaped by crime and gang-culture, exploring the tension between societal expectations placed on Black men and his own vulnerability, humanity, and resistance to those narratives.