‘Filling the void’ | Two young artists and their drive to promote the arts in Guyana
Shamar Spooner (left) and Shamer Hescott (right)
Shamar Spooner (left) and Shamer Hescott (right)

By Gabriella Chapman

THE importance of youth in the development of a country can never be overemphasised. Youth play one of the most important roles in nation building. They are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the partners of today. Young people are social actors of change and progress. Their contribution, therefore, is highly needed.

Over the last week, Pepperpot Magazine stumbled upon two Guyanese young men, with exceptional talent and vision. Shamar Spooner,19 and Shamer Hescott, 22, recently collaborated and executed an exhibition themed “Filling the void”, with the aim of showcasing the works of artistic young people, like themselves, in Guyana.

One of Shamer Hescott’s captures with local celebrity, Timeka Marshall

“Shamar Spooner and I were on vacation in Barbados in April and on our way, back we had the idea to do an exhibition, and we started thinking of what to display and we realised that we knew a lot of great young artists who are not so recognized for their work and we wanted to show everyone what they were capable of and also what we were capable of. Shamar came up with the name ‘Filling the void’, in a sense of the void being us young creatives not getting enough credit and recognition for our work in Guyana so we wanted to fill that void, hence the name of the event,” Shamer said.

Shamarr shared that he is passionate about many things, including helping other young creatives like himself, in Guyana. “I believe that Guyana has so much untapped talent in our youths and we don’t recognise it, so I aim to find ways to incorporate their talents and make it as unconventional and different as possible and this is what sparked the idea of Filling the Void,” Shamar said.

He went on to share that the event was one that included different art forms such as sculptures, architecture, fashion, robotics, digital art, photography and fine arts.
Filling the Void attracted scores of young people from across Guyana who were privileged to witness just some of what Guyana’s youths in the arts have to offer.
Both young men expressed that they are very satisfied with its execution and turn out; it was just as they imagined it to be and it was a dream brought to life.

Shamar Spooner

Some of the art pieces that were on display at “Filling the Void”

Shamaris an entrepreneur currently into Fashion designing and event coordinating. He has a Fashion brand/Movement called Upper Echelon that was founded last November. The brand came from his love and drive for fashion, especially streetwear, which comes from the influential pop culture. The name “Upper Echelon” came about since back in 2013 when Shamar was in high school and it represents something of a higher standard and out of our societal norms. He said he was even known for always dressing “weird” in school.
Shamar shared that he grew up seeing his aunt, who is a designer, creating beautiful pieces but it never got his interest until he grew up to find his niche of fashion, which was geared towards the urban culture. After finding his path, he was never hesitant about venturing into it.

“I was never really worried about venturing into fashion in Guyana. Even though I know that art in the whole isn’t appreciated like it should be, I believed in myself ever since school days so nothing ever broke my spirit,” Spooner said.

He also noted that it wasn’t an easy path nonetheless. “I wouldn’t say that there weren’t any challenges because that would be a lie. The challenges were quite numerous as it relates to places to learn fashion, capital to sustain the line and sourcing materials locally. However, I must say that since I’ve started, the young generation has really graced me with appreciation and love I didn’t even think I would receive. For example, I would release a collection online which is where I’m currently located, and the pieces would sell out in 24 hours,” the prodigy said.

He injected that there is so much more that can be done for young people like himself, making mention of the Government’s support and creating opportunities.
“There are so many of us out there with a lot of potential who are just waiting for the opportunity to arise so we can showcase what we are capable of. But we need to be supported and encouraged by the government, the private sector and the civil society by creating opportunities or by assisting us in reaching where we have the potential to be in this country,” Shamar said.

He further stated that it is also essential to note that young people must also believe in themselves; that they can become a big asset both individually and collectively to national development if they work hard.

Shamer Hescott
Shamer’s passion lies in perfecting his work and reaching further in the field of photography, film making and graphics and taking his talents on an international level.
His inspiration comes from seeing the work of other famous international photographers and it drives him to want to create similar visuals on that level to blow minds.

“I first started with Graphics in high school, then when I started working as a graphic artist in 2013, I realised that I work with a lot of images and I wanted to start taking my own so I bought a camera. That was when my photography journey started and that was by far the best decision I have made in my life,” Shamer said.

He shared that since that decision, he was focused and taught himself by watching videos online and studying the field. During his learning process, he started to improve and his work improved and clients grew.

A few displayed pieces from Shamar Spooner’s Upper Echelon brand

Sharing his love for photography, Shamer said he grew to love this art for several reasons.
“In a deeply personal way I feel an image is a poem about time; about staying the moment. Photography can defeat time. Images can keep the memory of a loved one alive; hold a moment in history for future generations, and be a witness to tragedy or joy,” he said. “They can also change behaviour, stimulate understanding and create a sense of urgency that will move people to action. Photography is the universal language that speaks to the heart. When I discovered and later understood photographic visual language, I saw that this language could inform, educate and move audiences worldwide without the need for a shared spoken language.”

At just age 22, Shamer has had the opportunity to shoot several Guyanese celebrities and beauty queens, international models, popular event coverage, weddings and the list can go on.

The young photographer said that he really thinks the arts and artists, especially the young ones need to be looked into more as Guyanese and how talented they are. He believes that they can really put Guyana on the map in the arts industry.

“One does not need to belabour the point that there are many young people who if given the required support can contribute meaningfully to the development of our country. But bringing such youths onboard the development wagon becomes the responsibility of those in authority. They need to support us and realise that we can make a unanimous contribution,” Shamer said
Shamar and Shamer stated that they will continue to assist in providing opportunities for their fellow young Guyanese in the arts industry. “Expect more great work from Shamer Hescott and Shamar Spooner as individual creatives and also look out for future events from our collaboration,” the two echoed.

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