Soca Highlighted At Library With Machel Montano Exhibit
Soca has gotten another stage with the Machel Montano exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library. The exhibit “Journey of a Soca King: The Exhibition” journeys through the Soca is on view at the Central Library from August 22 through September 12.
The exhibition showcases Montano’s lifelong contributions to Soca music and Caribbean culture, while highlighting the role that Brooklyn played in the artist's career. It features artifacts from Montano’s career, and includes costumes, trophies and vinyl records. The exhibition invites visitors to experience the artist’s work in a personal and immersive way.
“Brooklyn helped raise me. I lived here, I learned here, and some of my earliest audiences were right in these neighborhoods,” said Montano in a statement. “So for this work to come back to Brooklyn, in a place that is free and open to anybody who walks through the door, means everything. The Caribbean community built a home here, and this exhibition is a way of acknowledging the mark we as a people have made on this city. What moves me most is thinking about a young person walking in, seeing the costumes and the trophies and the records, and understanding that this came from a small island and reached the world. I hope every child who visits leaves knowing their culture deserves that kind of space.”
Montano’s career can be dated back to 1982, when he first began performing at just seven years old. More than 40 years later, his music continues to influence and help showcase Soca around the world.
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