Up You Mighty Race Exhibition in Kingston

Kimani Beckford’s Up You Mighty Race is an exciting solo exhibition which runs in Kingston, Jamaica from May 7 to July 31, 2026. This exhibition features fourteen bold pieces which highlight the beauty and resilience of Afro-Jamaicans, who comprise over 90% of Jamaica’s population. Art exhibits such as these reaffirm my love for Kingston, Jamaica— the city is a kaleidoscope of art, music and culture, a reflection of the social fabric of this bustling metropolis. With that said, here’s everything you should know about this exhibition and why you should visit.

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Where to Find Up You Mighty Race

Kimani Beckford’s Up You Mighty Race runs for three months from May 7 to July 31, 2026 at the Business District’s District360 at 19 Cargill Avenue, Kingston 10. District360 is a Jamaican-owned and operated business incubator and coworking space, and the second branch of the Business District which operates another location on Old Hope Road. Its executive chairman Maria Jones has been a longtime art collector, and recently commissioned fine artist Kimani Beckford to further enliven the office spaces. During their conversations, Beckford reimagined Jones’ idea to transform District360’s stairwell into an art exhibition, and as they say, the rest is history.

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“Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will!”
-Marcus Garvey

Admission to Up You Mighty Race is free, and can be visited on Mondays to Fridays from 10 am till 4pm. All fourteen pieces are on sale.

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Enjoying the Exhibition

A graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts, the Caribbean’s premier higher learning centre for all art disciplines, Kimani cites Marcus Garvey as one of his inspirations, hence the name of the exhibit. A man ahead of his time, Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) was Jamaica’s first National Hero and a pan-Africanist who was passionate about Black unity, self-sufficiency and excellence. Thus, it’s no surprise then that Kimani’s pieces exclusively feature Black people, beautiful, regal and strong, in posed portraits or going about their quotidian lives. This was quite inspiring to witness in Jamaica where Blacks, despite our large number, still often face systemic disadvantages and sadly, low self esteem, as part of our colonial legacy. Kimani’s exhibit offered room for reflection.

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“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds.”
– Marcus Garvey

Another part of the exhibit I enjoyed was the concept of movement. Stairwells are often viewed as mere conduits, but Kimani’s talent forced us to engage as we moved through space. Kimani drew inspiration for this exhibition concept from the Queen’s Staircase in Nassau, Bahamas, which was hewn from solid limestone rock by our enslaved African ancestors. From my travels, this concept reminded me more of a striking staircase in Lima, Peru which led to the beach. Staircase art displays make it easy to achieve our daily step targets– a win-win!

“If you have no confidence in self you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you have started.”
-Marcus Garvey

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Wrap Up

The exhibition is off to a successful launch which was held on May 7, 2026, but there’s still time left to catch it if you live or stay in Kingston soon. I love an exhibition which invites me to pause and appreciate the beauty of our people, so if that’s your vibe, you’ll love Up You Mighty Race. Have you visited this exhibition yet, or would you like to visit? Sound off in the comments section below! ‘Til next time.

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