DEEMED a prelude to Guyana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, the Guyana United Artists (GUA) will, from today, undertake a week-long exhibition aimed at elevating the image of local artists.

The exhibition, which runs until Saturday, April 9, will feature paintings and sculptures, presenting Guyana’s unique historical experience. The exhibition, which will be held at the Museum of African Heritage in Barima Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown, begins at 5pm.

Artist Desmond Ali told the Guyana Chronicle during a visit to the museum that the exhibition will be a prelude to the Independence Anniversary celebrations, with focus being placed on the country’s rich history.

“We are taking people to the earlier period”, Ali said. He also said there was work on the Atlantic Slave Trade, music and other aspects of the country’s cultural diversity. “It is to showcase the culture of the country”, Ali noted.

He said that his 15 pieces, which include paintings and sculptures some of which date back to 2002, will be on display, including a sculpture which focuses on the crime wave and the number of young men who disappeared from society. That sculpture he calls “The Killing Fields.”

According to Ali, the pieces are historical in nature. He noted that the views conceptualized when creating the artistic pieces were done with history in mind. Some of the pieces cover the British and American influence on this country in the years gone by, and they carry prices under $30,000.

Ali spoke of “The Continental Guardian”, a sculpture which provides strong South American influence and the Chavin culture, one of the more ancient cultures in the Americas. He said that when he took the piece to the Andean nations, it received much admiration.

Another artist, Philip Joseph, who said he was born into the arts, is banking on exhibiting his pieces, which he said are works dating back as far as 1986. “I do visual and realistic arts”, he noted, adding that the former was deeper in thought than the latter.
He spoke of his painting, called ‘Give up,’ depicting a man at the end of a long tiring journey. Joseph said the names are sometimes given to the art forms after they are completed. His art sells for $20,000 and $30,000.

As regards the exhibition, Joseph said the initiative to host the event at this time was a good one. He said he usually participates in exhibitions across the country. He possesses pieces such as a nature stand, whereby small pieces of ‘silverballi’ wood stand in creek water. The piece, he noted, stood the

test of time.

“This is something good for the artistes, and it’s nice elevation so that we can get our work out there”, he said of the exhibition.

Some 11 local artists are expected to participate in today’s event.