GUYANA is nearing the celebration of the 44th anniversary of its independence from Britain. And as a result of never having been a part of this milestone, on the evening of May 20th, paintings brought in from the United States of America by the author were mounted in an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art (Castellani House) to enjoy and acknowledge the country’s present status.
This exhibition was encouraged many years ago (1997) by the late Mrs. Janet Jagan, and represents the changing face of Guyana, its folklore, but primarily it documents a scenic aesthetic which has given way to the redevelopment in the years following May 26, 1966.
These paintings therefore bear a historical significance and value to the nation. The opening was attended by a few art lovers and patrons, but noticeably absent were the Minister of (Culture) Youth and Sports and other wheelmen in the machinery of the country’s management. The author therefore considers this to be a neglect of the artistic cultural needs of the nation. Maybe fine art is not thought to be of any major importance to the country’s cultural heritage. But this is an obvious oversight. Other countries in the past have tried it and have failed; and Guyana will not prove itself the first to succeed progressively by shunning the inclusion of an artistic heritage into its culture. It becomes obvious to me, now, why all the important artistic cultural assets departed the country for places where they are better appreciated.
No one has yet thought of documenting the pioneering efforts of Guyana’s painters, even the names of such individuals are not known. A school had to be opened to remember Burrowes. How many know of Gui Sharples, Reginal Phang, Claude Hoyte, Sam Cummings, Basil DeFreitas, Patrick Barrington, Vivian Antrobus, Hubert Moshett, Albert Singh – all better artists than E.R.Burrowes.
An artistic culture is just as important to a nation as is climate change phenomenon, agriculture, road projects, race and human rights practices, etc. and certainly should be placed on a higher level than the physical, of athletics. Those in authority should open their eyes and address the totality of what is necessary to generate cooperative growth, and make an equal balance of all things important to the nation’s development.
Should this artist ever mount another exhibition locally …Quien Sabe?