At first light at Rosewood Baha Mar, arguably one of the most stylish hotels in The Bahamas, the sand is being meticulously raked on the idyllic Cable Beach and, in the kitchens, piles of exotic fruit are being prepared for the countless rum-laced Bahama Mamas which will be served that day: it’s another day in paradise.

On the face of it, with its swaying palm trees, water park and casino, the resort is a fun playground for the many tourists that touch down in New Providence. But, as you pass through its corridors and eat in its refined restaurants – which include Costa, a coastal Mexican cuisine, and Café Boulud which serves French cuisine by noted chef Daniel Boulud – you begin to see that there’s more to this outpost than meets the eye.

From landscapes to portraits, on every wall is an eclectic and inspiring variety of art. Turns out, all the pieces are by Bahamian artists and the diverse selection is eye-opening – so you’ll find quirky drawings of Bahamians, moody photography of windswept beaches as well as thought-provoking paintings which challenge cultural tropes. It is a collection that not only gives guests a true sense of place, but which also serves to open the window into a unique side of The Bahamas that tourists do not often see.

Encompasseing some 100 original pieces in the Rosewood property, the collection has been curated by John Cox, the executive director of arts and culture for Baha Mar and Nassau’s preeminent local artist and curator. Each piece has been chosen, says John, “to inject a sense of authenticity into the resort.”

There’s probably no-one better to have been selected to do the job as curator at Baha Mar, which, as well as Rosewood Baha Mar, also includes Grand Hyatt and SLS luxury resorts and stretches across some 1,000 acres. Born in 1973, John Cox was raised in Nassau and attended the Rhode Island School of Design, receiving a BFA in Illustration and MAT in Art Education. He began his career at the College of The Bahamas, teaching both studio as well as theory courses for over a decade. In 2003, he left to work at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, working initially in museum education, before he became chief curator in 2013. Cox joined Baha Mar in 2014 as the creative arts director, to oversee the resort’s curation, art programming, gallery spaces and exhibits, before recently being made executive director of arts and culture for the whole Baha Mar resort.

As well as Rosewood Baha Mar’s independent collection of art – which includes pieces by John – at the heart of the mega-resort, there is also a standalone gallery called The Current, which additionally holds a vast collection of contemporary art, and one of the largest collections of Bahamian art in the world.

Free for guests to enter, The Current represents a wide-array of the most talented artists in the Bahamas today. There are portraits from Darchell Henderson, a contemporary figurative painter who explores culture, politics, and identity; stylistic paintings of the female figure by June Collie, a multi-media artist renowned for her unapologetically sensual female figures. You can also see Max Taylor’s thought provoking pieces which tackle human rights issues, illustrating momentous events for emancipation, equal rights and job equality; and there’s evocative photography by Roland Rose, each photograph exposing a slice of life and the brilliant beauty of the islands.

“It is our 50^th year of independence this year, and it is an important time for The Bahamas,” says John. “It’s a time to reflect. But since I’ve started working here, I’ve always wanted the art to be thought-provoking, to give visitors a different insight into what life is like in the tropics.”

Acting like a gallery-within-a-gallery, the art displays continue at Eccho Museum, a smaller warehouse-like space, home to further Bahamian art and a place where artist residencies, art lessons and workshops take place. As well as soaking up the paintings and sculptures when dining or roaming around the resort, for a more in-depth view, guests can book in for a guided art tour with John Cox. He’ll deep dive into the stories behind the highly-acclaimed Fairwind Exhibition, which showcases specific local artists, pinpoint hidden treasures and shed a light on some of the stories behind the pieces. Guests can also get creative themselves and book in for one of the workshops at The Current, from figure painting to self-portrait drawing.

“One of my intentions in how I have curated the various spaces, is to expose the complexity of Caribbean life,” says John. “Life here is often presented as a sort of utopia because much of our economy is based on tourism. People want a slice of paradise, because they are here for their holidays. Many artists in the Bahamas, historically, have felt a pressure to conform to that knowledge – that everything should be presented and packaged as light, bright and positive here.”

He continues: “Our art programme allows us to pose the question: ‘What is meant by Bahamian art?’ We can have the freedom to explore darker subject matters, which, of course, are present in this region as they are everywhere. Whether it is art that depicts poverty or displacement – subject matters which have a significant place in our art – or art that reveals happier subjects, it doesn’t matter. We are simply championing a range of voices and the diaspora from The Bahamas.”

One of John’s favourite Bahamian artists is Tavares Strachan, a conceptual, multi-media artist, who divides his time between Nassau and New York. “His work, such as the neon pink ‘You Belong Here’, hung over the Mississippi River, New Orleans in 2014, is super powerful.”

“Bahamian art is so much more diverse and broader than what the average person might assume, and we’ve been able to share so much of it at the property,” John explains. “I don’t see a lot of other examples of this in the region at this scale. In the public areas across the whole Baha Mar resort, we probably have about 700 original works of art, with our convention center claiming about 40% of that. In private rooms, suites, and offices we have well over 6,000 reproductions—all of which are Bahamian works. Specifically at the Rosewood, we have 100 original works in public areas—and we have a partnership with a local collector named Dawn Davies, who has one of the largest collections, with more than 3,000 works, many of which she lets is display on loan. Some of the artists you can see on property are Melissa Alcina, Kendal Hanna, Heino Schmid, Max Taylor, Dave Smith, Thierry Lamare, Brent Malone, and so many more.”

Whether it is the interpretation of this country’s idyllic landscapes or revisiting heritage folklore as a theme, the broadness of Bahamian art is a subject matter that John is truly passionate about. “It can be traditional straw-making, that many old ladies still practice, to futuristic, flickering art that gives an historical narrative. This is not about bland hotel art, or matching a watercolour to a sofa. We want guests to be stimulated by what’s on the walls. It’s about enhancing their cultural experience. In The Bahamas, we truly have a thriving art scene and I am so glad to be showcasing it.”