Let’s begin by comparing numbers: one million seconds equals 11 days and one billion seconds is nearly 32 years. It is estimated 57,000 photographs are taken every second, five billion taken daily and over one trillion taken annually.

Given these numbers, clearly photography can be all things to all people – photography is in every aspect of our lives. The proliferation of mobile phones and other devices provokes the question – is photography still an art form? The answer is a resounding “yes”! Nicola Muirhead’s Descendants of Summer at Masterworks in The Rick Faries Gallery is a collection of 26 photographs and ten of these images are portraits.

What is the uniqueness of portraiture in art and why does it matter? In public it is challenging, even rude to stare at someone. By contrast, gazing at a portrait on a gallery wall is a communication, potentially a dramatic emotional exchange based on perceptions and expectations. When we view another face there is a humanistic experience.

The mosaic of a portrait presents an individual’s essence, their innate allure and creates a presence. Portraits present evidence of undeniable facts, they are emblems of a life lived, the transcending narrative of one’s story and a testament.

They are testaments to our past and present, to the historical record and our cultural significance. Portraits may even render a perspective relating to a subject that is new or rarely seen. For many subjects, portraits present the authentic and the real. Muirhead deftly addresses the complexity of portraiture and renders artistic forms which are beautifully captured.

It is beyond reproach and evident in every image that Muirhead possesses a creative and technical prowess as a photographer. The challenge of this show lies in the presentation of Descendants of Summer. Its aesthetic themes, while ambitious, do not strike a balanced and nuanced chord. The themes “feel” overt and pointed. The exhibition rings with a claustrophobic tone and this can be directly attributed to the limitations of the gallery’s space and how space is utilised.

It seems as if little consideration was given to “wall-to-art” ratios and effectively employing negative and positive space. A distraction is how one image overlays on the boundary of another, and the intended effect is not realised as it results in a viewing discordance which is distracting.

While this exhibition is subtitled A Preview – a sample of a greater and more arresting “documentary series” the show could have aligned more with the stated objectives in the artist statement. In this instance there is a suggestion that something symphonic in scope has been imposed on a chamber quartet when it actually requires the resources of a full orchestra.

Where Muirhead truly succeeds is with her originality and her ability to use photography as art to quintessentially articulate her vision. The measure of this originality is in the innate emotional content of her images and the reactions they trigger. The importance of this cannot be overstated. A photograph is an actuality – a moment in time, unlike other types of images which are interpretive, a rendering or an imitation.

There is an inherent and unambiguous conviction in Muirhead’s Descendants of Summer. It presents the value of Bermuda’s heritage; it compels us in the social context to be willing to be catalysts for change and that we are all linked to Bermuda’s future. Descendants of Summer informs us in no uncertain terms of Bermuda’s past and its present.

Gherdai Hassell’s Not All Has To Be As It Was is a tsunami of creative ideas and artistic expression married to a clear and unifying execution. Every aspect of this show reflects a unity of vision. The colour of the gallery walls, the content and text in the complementing booklet, every piece of art speaks to a narrative that contiguously sweeps around the gallery. Even the labelling of the pieces has an appealing eccentric charm. In its totality, no artistic stone of Not All Has To Be As It Was is left unturned.

Hassell’s use of mixed media and multiple layers in her “paintings” creates a stunning effect. She appears to thrive with an uninhibited freedom of expression that renders unexpected and infinite creative possibilities. She possesses an uncanny ability to push artistic boundaries in imaginative ways while maintaining a singular voice of style. Not All Has To Be As It Was is a comprehensive, cohesive and polished journey of creative artistic expression.

Muirhead and Hassell are artists who have presented two very different shows. The intrinsic and inherent truth on display in each show reflects the critical value of the artist and their social importance.

This transcends creative expression. It is an imperative of freedom that allows us to process our human experience while giving us the ability to be inspired and to hope. To hope for a better Bermuda.

• Descendants of Summer by Nicola Muirhead runs through October 29, 2024

• Not All Has To Be As It Was by Gherdai Hassell runs through February 2, 2025