THE return of the art exhibition, ‘Filling the Void’ is set for Sunday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, and patrons are asked to prepare their minds to be blown away by what the team of young people have spent months to put together.

This event was created a year ago by two Guyanese young men with exceptional talent and vision, Shamar Spooner, 20, and Shamer Hescott, 23, whose aim is to showcase the works of artistic young people like themselves here in Guyana.

This year, ‘Filling the Void’ has transcended into a multi-faceted art event, with the aim of not just increasing the recognition of artists, but to provide networking opportunities for attendees. Spooner said that they have now expanded the art on display to not only paintings, but they have incorporated robotics, jewellery, aerial production, architecture and more.

The exhibition starts at 15:00hrs, and the cocktail networking reception starts from 18:00hrs.

Spooner said that ‘Filling the Void’ is known to be a night of elegance, as it encompasses fine arts, haute couture outfits, and a relaxing ambience that encourages everyone to network and build new relationships. It allows both patrons and artists to express themselves, whether through a painting or by taking a fashion risk. It aims to bring more attention to the creative arts sector in Guyana, while preserving and developing young artistic Guyanese.

Spooner has his own clothing line, ‘Upper Echelon’, and Hescott is a photographer and videographer.

“This event promotes entrepreneurship among youths, as they are able to benefit from their intellectual property, since they will be able to sell them at the event and receive in full, their payment. The young creatives are recruited for the event at no expense, but the materials they use to create their artwork,” Spooner told ‘The Buzz’.

“In its second year now, the event has quickly become a much-anticipated one for young artists and aspiring ones, and just persons who want to support,” he added.

Also this year, Spooner said they have collaborated with Impressions, and the event will pattern that of a red-carpet gala affair, and persons are asked to come out in their very best, as the carpet will be lined with photographers, who will be ready to capture moments to make the event a memorable one.

In a previous interview with ‘The Buzz’, Hescott had shared how and when the idea was birthed. “Shamar Spooner and I were on vacation in Barbados in April,” he said, “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

recognised 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.