Artists showcase powerful images of Guyanese Art

CASTELLANI House on May 21, was once again transformed into a gallery of national treasures as artists from all over Guyana displayed some of Guyana’s most thought-provoking pieces of art and craft through an art exhibition which is being held as part of the country’s 52nd Independence Anniversary celebrations.

The exhibition, which will run until June 8, not only celebrates Guyana’s Independence but is also being held in observance of the 25th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. Many of the exhibits are stunning expressions of art, which seem so perfectly done, using the medium of oil, pen, ink and acrylic; ceramic; wood; mirror leather and wood; watercolour; stones, mixed media; pyrography; bronze; fibreglass and found objects, pastels and others.

The artwork depicted almost every aspect of human life and living – ranging from food to fire, from struggles to freedom, from love to hate, birth and death, from the mountain top to the bottom of the mountain; scenes of Guyana and also of overseas.

STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE
Curator of the National Art Gallery at Castellani House, Ohene Koama told the Pepperpot Magazine that this exhibition is a special one that has been planned for a number of years. “We knew that we were approaching the 25th anniversary of art exhibitions and we thought of having the artists showcased and praised. We thought of the concept of selecting 25 artists,” he said. The curator stated that he knew it would have been a hard task; one for which he had to apologise to the artists who were left out.

Koama explained that the artists were not bound by a theme which gave them freedom in the pieces of work they displayed. He said that the artists, therefore, selected their work, which was reviewed and accepted as good quality for exhibition and from that collection, two pieces each were chosen for the exhibition. He stated that the pieces were arranged in such a manner as to tell a clear story to the public.

He added that the oldest artist is Jorge Bowenforbes who will celebrate his 80th birthday in May and the youngest artist is about 27 years old. The group of artists also includes both Guyanese who are here and who live abroad, but returned home to showcase their pieces.

Marketing and earning
Koama said that artists in Guyana are very dedicated to what they do, however they need as much exposure as they can have. He went on to explain that artists would grade their work themselves and that some artists work fulltime and would sell their work to live. He stated that they would also take time to produce other work that they consider marketable or worthy of being a part of an exhibition or competition.

“[This] is an opportunity for the artists to showcase their work and sell… At the national gallery, what we are responsible for is to help promote the works by exhibiting them and coming up with concepts and ideas for an exhibition. But we are not really a market-driven entity, in terms of having an event every day for them to have an outlet to sell,” he said. “Sometimes we are overcrowded when the year comes for exhibitions, but every opportunity we have to help the artists to showcase their work and we are happy to do it.”

GALLERY IS MANDATED
In terms of helping to promote the work of the artists, Koama said that the gallery itself is also mandated to acquire works from artists as long as the work is of a high quality and it is properly presented, and the artists have developed a mature talent. “We even judge them and some artists have repeated winnings for dedication and consistency for producing good work,” he said.

He added that another aspect is where artists produce bodies of work and are mature enough to have a one-man show or a group show. “When you identify these consistencies and maturity in the artist, you know that they are serious about their work,” he said.

VISUAL ART AND CRAFT MARKET
Koama explained that the government has been doing quite a lot but that the artists have to do their part to help themselves and that he would not advise anybody to spoon-feed an artist.

He mentioned a Literary and Visual Arts Fair which was held in February, which invited visual artists into that exhibition for the first time. “We transformed Main Street and made it into a venue for exhibits and people came and purchased work. From that survey the artists yearned to have more events of the same and that was taken to the Minister. It was discussed and he was overwhelmed and happy and so this year for the Independence (which is the first time it is happening) there would be the market of visual art and craft,” Koama offered.

He asserted that all the efforts and opportunities to help the artists to sell their works are being put in place by the government. At the same time, Koama said, “we are not taking a cent from the artists to make these events happen.”

He said that he views this move by the government to help the artists as one that is needed and wherever the opportunity arises for this kind of event to happen, he encourages the authorities to allow it.

BETSY KARIM’S ACRYLIC PIECE
Just as Betsy was being interviewed on her piece – The Capture of Plantation Peerboom, it was being sold and taken down since the Guyanese who wanted to purchase it was taking it to the place she now lives – in the United States. “From the first time I saw this painting I just wanted to buy it for myself. I called my brother and when I described it, he said that if he was here he may have bought it before me,” the purchaser said.

Betsy recorded her comment on the creation of art in this way, “Every artists’ concept of colour is a huge velocity of meditation. It will meditate on the mind of the admirer as he measures the distance or percentage.”

Dageraad (in the year 1763), according to Betsy, is a piece which speaks of a situation high up in the Berbice River at Plantation Pereboom. There were slaves who constantly rebelled, resulting in what she termed ‘a great revolution’ in pursuit of freedom.

“One man who could neither read nor write, somehow managed to stimulate the interest of a people – later a nation to fight for their freedom. At that stage of the history of British Guiana (now Guyana), the country was described as being, ‘in her infancy’,” Betsy said. “And now this story has grown into maturity and infiltrated my mind and soul of which I proudly canvas the history of my country’s only national hero.”

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has also saluted the works of her fellow artists as patriotic and priceless, as well as the forefathers’ vision of independence in thought and spirit for generations to come.

Debra Mathias – Face of diversity
Jewellery designer and owner of Rave Designs, Debra Mathias said that she has come from a diverse ethnic background. She told the Pepperpot Magazine that it is from this rich cultural mix from which she draws inspiration for her unique jewellery.

She said that her piece – Face of diversity- was done from semi-precious stones, chips and beads, red coral, black volcanic rock, bamboo, wood and leather. This piece, she says, consists of five semi-precious stones, two amethysts at the top encircled by red coral, a green quartz in the middle, circled with nuggets of agate and green semi-precious beads, next a small amethyst circled with a black volcanic rock.

Mathias said that the red area at the top of the piece represents the artist’s Indigenous roots, while the bottom part represents her African roots. (mercilinburkie2017@gmail.com)