Cricket - A tame opening

Only in the act of sport do a People forget their grievances and pray for the same

On the eve of the first World Cup Cricket match ever to be played at the Queen's Park Oval, the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, an exhibition on the theme of Cricket was launched. This was an open call for public work, and the curator selected works from a field of artists and artisans who expressed the game in many mediums. Stain glass, copper work, wood, a board game, a scaled model with figurines and a large three-dimensional wire sculpture meshed into Brian Lara at his crease occupied the Museum's wing.
"Art in Cricket" is relatively a large group show that included thirty three artists from Trinidad and Tobago. It also included prominent artists and works from the Museum's collection. There were watercolor washes by Wendy Nanan, photographs of Noel Norton and paintings by Hetty DeGannes, Anothony Timothy, Glenn Roopchand and Bill Trotman, artists who have placed their perspective on the "love of the game" by carefully studying it. But the clear winner from this show was the "Prince of Port of Spain", Brian Lara who received the most immortalized interpretations of his likeness through their paintings and pencil work. One in particular was Hashemi Siwaju who executed the batsman in graphite, edging the crease for a run. It is a piece worth seeing.

And a surprising triptych by Shazan Mohammed which expressed the creation of the heavens, the earth and the of course game of cricket with a field and pavilion as its core. So seen through the eyes of local artists, Cricket World Cup visitors will have a glimpse of how ingrained the game is in Trinidad and Tobago. For true lovers of West Indies Cricket, "Art in Cricket" is a warm "Test Match" with a few catches, a couple of fours and one or two drop balls, but the sport represents the West Indian people as an union to the Federation it once had hoped for over fifty years ago. "Art in Cricket" exhibition runs until 31st March 2007 -thebookmann