Beauty in all living things - Roberta Stoddart.

People in general want the same things, they deserved to be respected and acknowledged. And this is where the conflicts arise in all societies, from injustice to hate, to violence, to war and finally to genocide

At the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, Roberta Stoddart's much anticipated show, In the Flesh opens to a large turnout. Held at the Annex, Ms. Stoddard shows a body of work that deals with the subject of discomfort and unseen social obligations. She includes a portrait of herself in a wedding dress, yet unwed.

By a simple study of a common Roach, she paints to disturb the mind with living things which may repel the viewer because of its parasitical quality. Ms Stoddard, otherwise sees a beauty which she translates onto the canvas in the finest veneer. Here, she captives the notion of Race by replacing the head of the insect with the portrait of a human. It should be noted in the history of Western Art, Michelangelo played on similar puns by painting the faces of clergymen as the gland of the penis. These were a satirical commentary on the ills of religion. With Ms. Stoddard, it is the racial stereotyping she sees.

A clue to her composition, Saints and Sinners 120 x 72 ins, is a place quite recognizable to the Tortuga Roman Catholic Church, which sits at the crest of the Montserrat hills in Gran Couva, Trinidad and Tobago. The composition includes four studies, were Ms. Stoddart is portrayed to the lower right in a posture somewhat bereaved. The unusual perspective tilt is taken from the upper level of the church, where the organ once stood. Her subjects are the freaks of nature who suffer from a skin disfigurement by the absence of pigmentation. What is unique about these studies is that her pallet offers a similar approach in the splotches of colour, as with their skin cancer. The overlaid are precisely layered to give the skin its tonal flake.

For those who have a love for fine art, In the flesh offers a scope to the island's finest painter whose technical range is clearly shown in oils. There is an opportunity to see what portraits should look like, as Ms. Stoddart's strengths are those very aspects in a smaller scale.

An exhibition of recent works - Roberta Stoddart. National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, 22th November till 8th December, 2007. A catalogue accompanied this show which is a retrospective of her work. Enquiries regarding the publication

Landscapes in Abstaction - Mario Averbe Gonzalez

Like attracts Like
At the Pixel Print Gallery in Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, the owner Gregory Scott has expanded his gallery which first began as a showcase for his digital prints. Pixel Prints has exhibited a number of artists since its conception in 2006. This month, a Columbian painter is on show.

Mario Averbe Gonzalez primarily is an abstract painter and his figurative motifs are defused from landscapes. At least four paintings incorporate a popular scene taken here from Trinidad and Tobago. One includes the bamboo patch in Chaguramas.

Pixel Print has a relatively small viewing space but Mr. Gonzalez's paintings are strong enough to separate themselves from each other. By this, he has trained himself to contain hues of colour in each piece. What his paintings lack are blacks. Nevertheless,they are clean, unintentional in their content and undiluted, yet they represent some sort of pleasing visual vista. Hence the painters Sarah Beckett or Isaiah James Boodhoo come to mine.

Mario Averbe Gonzalez at the Pixel Print galley in Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago. The exhibition runs until the 17th, October 2007. Lower photograph, Mario Averbe Gonzalez with Sarah Beckett, courtesy of Gregory Scott

Art Therapy - Pat Bishop

In Trinidad and Tobago, Pat Bishop is known as an artist who treasures the national musical instrument, the Steelpan and she also conducts the Lydian singers, a local ensemble of classical singers. Then, she should understand the structure, balance, tonal timbre and most of all the spirit that lifts as you listen to a score. But why are these elements less visible in her art?

At the Softbox gallery in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Ms. Bishop's exhibition is at its tail end, the entrance door is shut and the owner of the gallery comes to investigate. And like a guard to the Queen's Royal jewels, his persistence is jolting. "No one is allowed to see the work". What could the intrigue be?

Ms. Bishop has spent some time choreographing an exhibition full with musical intrigue. The pieces observed from her catalogue shows her work in the layering of forms matted with soft pastel tones to give a literal three-dimensional meaning. Therefore, the circular abstraction of coloured rings represents a steelpan, The painted keys of the piano is just that, a piano and so forth. In one of her abstracts, she adds a small violin figurine.

For those who went to the show, the phrase not impressed kepts coming up. There was also the debate over her use of authentic goldleaf to decorate some of the pieces. This does not mean that the frames were gilded, just a few fragments of the leaf were just placed on the canvas without finesse.

There are many admirers of Ms. Bishop's sculptural paintings, and she should be pleased that the exhibition was a success, it was an understanding that practically all the work was sold. Yet, there is not much to read from them but rather an exercise in Art Therapy with small blocks tacked together and covered with canvas and paint.

Pat Bishop's Catalogue; I belong to the house of music. It should be noted that the cover of her calalogue is of a closed door.

The Tobago Gaze

We live, we die, what's between is just a kaleidescope of experiences.

Tobago, often feels neglected from the overbearing attitudes and ownership from Trinidad. It has an unique identity particularly with its people, a purer African stock less tainted by those here in Trinidad. In their spoken idiom, sometimes you think they are directly from Africa, the accent is much different from a well spoken Trinidadian.

Yet, Tobago has had a turbulent past, fought over by many Europeans and has been part of Trinidad since 1888 under a single Crown Colony. But today a few European artists have considered it their second home and the work produced from the island shows the uniqueness of its native habitat.

At the Annex at the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, the Dutch painter Han Vilé expresses his male gaze on the women of Tobago in thirty small paintings.

In art terms, the objectionification of any culture by another carries a heavy hand from the standpoint of who can or can't form a proper representation of the subject.

Mr.Vilé depicts a portrait of the contemporary youthful exotic Tobago Negro in vignettes he has observed. They are highly charged as he searches to outline the female form in places dark and mysterious. These paintings are quirky and folklike with a rich gamut of primary colours, and in setting we West Indies most often take for granted.

Although, in retrospect they border on the lines of graphic illustrations and are more suited for a tourist travel guide. Men may just flock over just to experience these exotic beings. So be it as it may, step back from the illusion of what you think it should be, and chuckle, laugh and admire these women from Tobago in all of their whimsical physique and sexually voluptuousness.

Bouquet Art - I solicit art

About a year ago, a public art project called Galvanize commenced in several public venues across Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. A small room catered for one of the artists tucked away in a small residence in Woodbrook.

Alice Yard is Sean Leonard's gig and the genesis of creating it came soon after the Galvanize project.The architect wanted a dialogue in public conversations, be it with art, performance or music and the space seemed appropriate to hosts small gatherings to suit a particular subject.

Since January 2007, Alice Yard had provided forty artists the opportunity to show their work to a public audience under the guidelines of a committee which includes himself, Christopher Cozier, Nicholas Laughlin and Sheldon Holder. Mr. Holder is responsible for the requisition of music performers, and he is also the lead singer of the local alternative rock band 12. Nevertheless, by attending these shows it will give a clearer description of the curatorial mandate.

One newly addition to the yard is a small recessed gallery which can be encased by a large glass panel door. If this was visible at street level (basically as a showcase), it may have been one of the first in Trinidad and Tobago specifically designed for the purpose of exhibiting contemporary art.

Currently, there is a student installation, the first in a series curated by the art committee. Mr. Leonard considers the entire project as on going process. Alice Yard has already expanded to a upper level courtyard and who knows how adventurous in the world of art, music theater or dance it may leap.

Hangers; Adam Williams, a series of studies and sketches from art class at OCAD and UWI hung on a rack. At last Friday's music performer; Shakeela a singer from Point Fortin who mellowed the crowd with her smooth sultry vocals. See her perform at Youtube

Traveling Abstractions - Barbara Neu

At Move Vino, an upscale wine bar in Port of Spain, every week shows work from an array of artists. This week it is an exhibition of oils by Barbara Neu, an American who resides in Trinidad and Tobago.

Just settled in for over a year now, Ms. Neu has lived in Europe, Africa and Japan and her observations on the landscapes has triggered a memory of turbulent energy. Her brush strokes exhibit a masculine quality which is unseen with paintings in Trinidad by a woman artist.

Only one of the nine abstracts was actually produced here, the rest where done in Tokyo, Japan. The painting titled # 2 is a mixture of cobalt blue and gray with accents of orange. It is the indication of what Chris Ofilli described this island to be, mysterious and an enigmatic.

With a rather dark pallet, the artist is capable to applying the pigments without contaminating them. Working primarily with blacks, oranges and light yellows. Her strokes are controlled as they zig zag or rotate across the canvas. With the diptych on your left, Ms. Neu says it is imagery found on the internet, the painting is of a fork which has the ambiance of an Italian visa.

Ms. Neu's on the other hand is slightly cautious to explore the hot vibrant country that Trinidad and Tobago is. She watched carnival on television this year but says next year may be another story with a fusion of reds. Barbara Neu at Move Vino is up for a week.

De Line - Ashraph

Retro Exhibition series

There is an underlying sense of optimism from artists themselves, opportunities to work with artists in other disciplines, and from other countries, regionally and internationally. Prior to the 1990s artists did these things individually, but the organisation CCA7 has been developed to encourage a closer association of artists through workshops, bursaries, scholarships and the like. The tentatively titled De Line by Richard Ramsaran (Ashraph) is a semi autobiographical narrative, a continuing journaling of the artists personal experiences. He has over the last ten years produced work relating to his place within this Trinidad society, telling visual stories

based on his interpretations of living in Trinidad in real time. Past shows have dealt with the coup of 1990, a private understanding of self brought on by alcoholism in his family’s past). In The Crosses we bear, he then assessed self in, Therapy, and a number of shows based on his travels throughout the Caribbean and the east.

De Line is a two year odyssey of research and analysis of his life through his musings and experiences with abandoned children, his travels to Haiti, Jamaica, Morocco, New York and Seattle. He has found common threads through his journeys, enough to ask the question of the audience how do you perceive boundaries, what are they and how do you deal with self imposed restrictions. . The artist has managed to take the unrelated threads of the aforementioned experiences and bring them together through his own soul searching and voyeurism of being the outsider in the many places of destination. That outsider ear has jelled a show of importance. He begs the further question of social restraint and release. Some of the works seem almost too personal for the viewer to really get a sense of the theme of boundaries and their crossings, however this does not take away from the body of work as a whole as inevitably the viewer becomes hopelessly tangled in the theme through his astute use of colour and sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic references like glitter and the startling red line of string that is the recurring motif throughout.

To some the entire body of work may seem too esoteric and intimate to take,(full stop) yet it is because the work is so personal (that)Mat it warrants display. The artist offers an insight into the dichotomy of third world progress's double edge sword. Do you dare cross that line? Adele

2001 All Rights Reserved

Tobago - A German interpretation

Wie andere von uns sehen
The National Museum has done it again. They have produced a show in affiliation with the German Embassy, and the results are noteworthy to say the least. Many of us are aware of Luise Kimme. She is the German/Tobagonian Artist who creates larger than life sculptures of people of the island in mythical poses.

Her work is accompanied by large paintings done by Andrea Hoffer. Both types of work are well paired, and it is a definite pleasure to look upon large contemporary interpretations of colonial houses, painted in a mesh of fretwork and fauna. It is as though you have stepped through a looking glass and Miss Kimme’s people are frozen in time against a backdrop of hazy forms of Miss Hoffer's work that connect many views of lazy life on an idyllic island, but when one looks more closely, one sees much more under the surface. A bit of lace, a face from a faded photograph, a patterned curtain fluttering in the breeze. Who was there? Or what is the story here? The paintings seem to conjour these thoughts up, and they are not settling thoughts, but investigative in nature.

Among familiar pieces by Miss Kimme are also many lush and densely sculpted, colourful pieces that I believe have not been exhibited before. Where the paintings leave off, the sculpture complements. This show is a sensitive melding of textures, scale and colour. After a minimalist show by Dolino, it is a sensible complement and continuation to what may be an embassy series. This is a treat. Don’t miss it. - Adele

At the Annex, the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, Luise Kimme and Andrea Hoffer 12 -24th June 2007

Minimalist - A true meaning - Dolino

The National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago is presently featuring the work of a Brazilian artist, Dolino with the support of the Brazilian Embassy. The Annex takes on an air of sophistication in its clean simplicity, perfectly suited to these highly crafted minimalist colour blocked paintings. It is important for students of painting to see this show. At first some may think that the work may look easy to create because the artist is working with pure colour. However, if the student can get past first impression, there is a lot to learn from this artists' technical know how. The colour palette is very strong and the brush strokes are honed down to a nearly perfect sheen. On closer inspection some textures lay on the smooth surface like fingerprints on plastic. The undercolours coming through the blocked areas of high relief pigment is very pleasurable to observe, but moreso, they give a sense of depth of field and visual interest. The high contrast between smooth and rough, positioned for maximum impact demands a slow walk through the space. The show is well curated and after so much figurative work in the museum, it is wonderful to be presented with such a clean, colour field show. The University of the West Indies just completed a show in the same space and students of the university should make a point at stopping by and looking at the work of this artist. There is a lot to take in and to learn from here. - Adele

A benchmark – Art and Design 2007

Launched into the World of Art and Design under the guidance of......

In the small foyer that leads you to the steps to the courtyard of the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago, there are a list of artists, teachers and curators tastefully pinned up on the wall. Side by side, the pages give a brief synopsis of each artists and concepts behind their work.

This is the twentieth anniversary of the Art programme at the University of the West Indies, and the graduating class 2007 have put forward their best foot. Both the Annex and the upper floors of the National gallery are used for the occasion, and the show has been carefully curated to give each artists the opportunity to put their work in its best light, no matter their degree of proficiency . This exhibition is rather important for students who may consider to pursue art as a career, noting that this is a three-year degree.

It is an eye opener for a public who may be squeamish about political correctness or sexually and one must realize that it is only a student show, and the urge to bring change and move mountains is at the heart of their passion. There is a phallic totem pole dealing with HIV, but it is far less the centre of interest and perhaps too literal. A light box pulls some weight and two bamboo structures have a complex interweave to sustain itself.

What is positive about this show is that every student has been given the opportunity to exhibit their work within the parameters of the gallery. The pieces are diverse, and they are up to the possibilities of being seen. The show also has a raw energy to it that gives hope to students from different backgrounds to have the means to express themselves if not with words or actions but with art. Art and Design 2007 - The University of the West Indies student exhibiton runs until 6th May at the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago. - thebookmann

The University of The West Indies Arts Department has launched a show of works in several media by graduating students. It is a loose version of what was required every semester at my alma mater, Pratt Institute. Students were required to present the very best of the school term and were given spaces in which to present. So the objective was twofold. You could not just have good work, you also had to know how to present it. At this student show, one person caught my attention in particular. Her name is Lata Randeo. What struck me was something that is almost illusive. She chose to look at the role of Islam in Trinidad and its perceptions by the public of the burka wearer.

I took a look at her sketchbook and was not surprised to see that she referenced Mona Hatoum, who is of Palestinian origin but a British citizen. Ms. Hatoum’s work is powerful and unforgettable, she brings awareness to the image of the Muslim woman. See her work from the Tate collection The student has cause to be interested in her work. Yet what I found from what she presented, was someone actually searching to bring meaning to her observations and experiences, not just using references and piggy backing on them, as many other works presented seemed to do. I believe that when this student continues to pursue to exhibit, that the growth of her work shall be eagerly anticipated if she continues along her present course. I know that I shall be looking forward to her next steps. Adele

Bat N Ball - Art on Cricket continues

No Wendy Nanan?
World Cup Cricket is still being played in parts of the Caribbean and art exhibitions about the sport still continue under a less that sour note. The West Indies lost and the expectations of tourist dollars did not materialize. Nevertheless, this has not hampered those artists who use the theme in their work.

At the Trinidad and Tobago Art Society, Bat N Ball is an exhibition hosted by Gallery 101. There is no presence, the principle here is to get your work sold and Mark Pereira, the owner of the gallery is a master at that.

Mr. Pereira has invited ten artists to participate, and these are individuals who truly love and understand the game. More importantly, it shows how the game is ingrained in Trinidad and Tobago and other parts of the Caribbean. This should be a lesson to the World Cup organizers where the spirit of the game is more important than the commercial package it was presented as.

There is not much to say about this show, other than cricket is cricket interpreted in many forms. Oils, ink, gauche, wood and precious metals. The list of artists includes Embah, Jackie Hinkson, Che Lovelace, Sundiata and Jasmine Thomas-Girvan, names well known in the Art community, and buyers who are well familiar with the space and its owner. May the match be a draw. Bat N Ball continues until April 26th, Gallery 101, Trinidad. -thebookmann

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

Art in South - I Mean South Trinidad

The Southern Gallery under the direction of Mr. Byron

Although Trinidad is a tiny place, it is divided in such a way that most people who live out of Port-of-Spain complain that they can only see certain things in ‘town,’ and are constantly asking why can't they see more plays, more art, more concerts in other places.It is not that they do not happen at all, it is just that there are not enough of them. The San Fernando Art Gallery is one such important place to visit. I did so last year because of a strange review by Willie Chen on the work of Harold Herminez.


Hanging clothes and Art together

The gallery has been in operation for the last four years, run by a retired school teacher who could have done a number of other things, but took all that he had and decided to take his love of Art to an actual space. Unlike the galleries in Port-of-Spain, this gallery is a plain modern two story house with a family upstairs. The sign is painted with an airbrush technique and the space inside is partitioned. There is a lot of potential for the space, and Mr. Byron is doing everything himself, from writing proposals for funding and support to painting the ceiling and trying to accommodate visitors as they come into the space to see the work.


Hanging clothes and Art together

At the moment the artist on show is the photographer Patrick Kerr who has forty two colour images on display. This body of photography is better displayed than the work of the photography icon Noel Norton at the Clico Gallery last year. The photographer himself hung the work according to a theme. There is variety in the show and it is important for people in San Fernando, environs and from all over the island to pay a visit to this growing gallery space. - Adele

2005 A year in Art - Trinidad and Tobago

In December, Adele Todd at gallery Soft Box

Right off the bat it is important to note that by no means did any of us go to all the shows in the last year. So to some it may seem unfair to do a summing up. Yet in many respects one can sum up the year without going to everything, simply because so many shows are a great deal alike. The reason to sum up the year has to do with trying to pin down what artists in Trinidad and Tobago are saying in their work today and what they may be saying for the future. One of the controversial moments of 2005 came when the artist Willie Chen wrote about Harold Herminez. He was so incensed by what he saw that that warranted a trip to San Fernando.


Harold Herminez - a bullet for

Artists off the beaten track like Wendy Nanan and Tessa Alexander did work based on India. Wendy Nanan focused on meditation and Tessa Alexander had visited India and her works focus was on her experiences. Some old stalwarts like LeRoy Clarke, Neal Massy and Karen Sylvester did not disappoint their public with much of the same sort of fair that has marked their long careers. However in the instance of Massy and Sylvester it seemed clear to me that they were trying to push past some of their tried, tested and proven techniques.

Art in Trinidad and Tobago is largely one of safe, traditional buying styles, featuring such works as pastoral scenes, flowers and birds, market, mountain and river scenes. Occasionally we will also see a venture into painting the national instrument. But 2005 had some interesting moments worthy of noting, like the exhibition of five jewellers works, Barbra Jardine, Rachel Ross, Jasmine Girvan, Janice Derrick and Sarah May Marshall, something that has rarely been seen and very long overdue.


Ananci”, Pendant Ornament. sterling silver, 18carat gold, snail shell, carved bone, pink tourmaline, garnet
Fire & Flux Exhibition at the National Museum

There was also work seen at a new place called Soft Box. Soft Box focuses on alternative work and that is very important. There are many modes of expression and everyone should be able to see many types of works. The visual spectrum must be expanded and more and more artists need to be able to explore a range of works. It is not enough to do work that the public expects, but work that they not only do not expect, work that can engage them.

Trinidad and Tobago has lost its idyllic innocence and artists have a great responsibility to themselves and their space and without some sort of assessment of what is going on in art, we are relegated to constant re-invention.

Adele Todd

thebookmann

Art Trinidad Adele Todd Richard Bolai thebookmann