Mario Smith

After a decade-long hiatus, this Bahamian artist and Las Vegas resident has returned to celebrate Junkanoo in a big way, with a special exhibit during Black History Month in the US. He tells Cara Hunt about honouring the legends and looking to the future of the Bahamian cultural phenomenon.

The art of Junkanoo beats deep in the heart of Bahamian artist Mario Smith. As a child living aboard, he craved being home to attend the parades. As a teen, he had the dream opportunity to help design and execute a parade. And in adulthood, he is showcasing Junkanoo art to a global audience.

Now, Mario has launched an exhibit at the West Las Vegas Art

Centre as part of the city’s observance of Black History Month.

It features Junkanoo-inspired artwork created by him and Cultural Ambassador Jamaal Rolle.

It is one of those full circle life moments for the artist.

“I am a self-taught artist,” he explained, “Junkanoo has always been my passion. But when I lived outside of the country as a child, I wanted to be in the Bahamas to rush very badly.”

Mario was born in Grand Bahama, where he lived until the age of seven, when he moved with his mother to Malaysia.

They stayed there for 14 months before moving to The Netherlands, where he remained until he was 14 years old.

When Mario returned to Freeport as a teenager, he enrolled in the Grand Bahama Catholic High from where he graduated. He was a well-rounded student, fluent in Dutch, and a successful athlete.

“When I was around 16, I had the opportunity to join the Classic Dancers in Freeport with Mr Ken Francis. He gave me the amazing opportunity to design and build a parade. I was basically able to it all,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“After graduation, I moved to Nassau and became very close to (Winston) “Gus” Cooper, even though I didn’t really do a lot with the actual Valley Boys, but he always was a mentor to me and would encourage me to expand my horizons and do something with my life.

“He would always tell me, ‘You have got to do something beyond Junkanoo’.”

Mario certainly lived up to the mandate.

After school, he moved to the Las Vegas area where his career in marketing and design took off.

He has had the opportunity to work with high-end clients such as the Wynn Las Vegas luxury hotel, the luxury sports car manufacturer Ferrari, and guitar legend Carlos Santana.

And while his passion for art and Junkanoo remained in his heart, fatherhood became his focus and drew him away from the colorful cultural phenomenon and artistic expression in general for a bit.

“I really lost that focus for art when I had my son,” he said, “because I had always wanted to be a father and I took a ‘short break’, which turned out to be about a decade where I didn’t do that much art.

“But then the pandemic happened and my son was actually the one to inspire me to get back into it,” he said. “I really wanted to do Junkanoo-inspired pieces, because it such a big part of Bahamian culture.”

Mario explained that in many other countries, culture is heavily