Joel Julien
We are resilient people.
And it is this story of resilience that curator Adeline Gregoire hoped to tell as she selected 23 emerging to mid-career visual artists from Trinidad and Tobago to participate in the public display presented by ANSA McAL.
Titled Art Reframed–Celebrating 60! The pieces are currently being displayed at the TATIL Courtyard located along Maraval Road in Port-of-Spain.
The display was officially launched on August 30, the eve of T&T's 60th Independence Day.
Art Reframed logo
"On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Independence for Trinidad & Tobago, artists were asked to respond to the way in which freedom and notions of independence have been ever present throughout the rich story and layered histories of Trinidad & Tobago," Gregoire stated.
"The story of our Land–of Trinidad and Tobago–as we now know, begins with the existence of our First Peoples, the Amerindians, a nomadic people, who were in reverence of their natural environment, freely navigating and inhabiting our Caribbean islands for centuries–long before the arrival of imperialism, subjugation and the colonial machine."
Gregoire said the question of T&T's independence, therefore, while tethered to a colonial past, expands beyond the colonial era and the Declaration of our Independence in 1962.
"Independence is above all a story of agency, self-governance, human freedom and the multiple stories of resilience, found in the rituals of our ancestors, the creative genius of our fore-parents, the lives of our everyday heroes and sheroes, past and present who 'bend, but not break' in the face of structural oppression, and whose fearless devotion to freedom lives on," she stated.
"The selected works in this art exhibition–designed for public access, interaction and collective well-being–are an invitation for each one of us to remember the many details of our Trinbagonian history and trajectory: our mistakes and our accomplishments, our moments of innovation and creativity."
Gregoire thanked ANSA McAL for making the space available for the display and said she hoped it would be a platform for the artists.
Brian Ashing : Life Unyielding 2018
SHIRLEY BAHADUR
Brian Ashing
The piece Ashing selected for the display is titled "Life Unyielding".
Ashing said in the piece from 2018 the subject directly challenges the viewer but also welcomes them.
"She is surrounded by an intricate placement of flora and fauna with flowers and butterflies and gold, which all support the theme of the strength and the resilience of the African people."
The piece is done with watercolours.
Maya Cross-Lovelace: Waterfall 2022
SHIRLEY BAHADUR
Maya Cross-Lovelace
The piece Cross-Lovelace selected for the display is titled "Waterfall".
"We have lots of natural attractions like waterfalls and beaches. It is a very everyday part of our existence in the Caribbean, and I see water as a healing and cleansing element," Cross-Lovelace said.
She is excited and proud to have been allowed to display her art.
"Art is a part of us, and it is in so many things that we take for granted," she said.
One of the ways we value artists, she said, is by interacting with their work, and this display provides that opportunity.
Salisha Stanley: Dream woman 2022
SHIRLEY BAHADUR
Salisha Stanley
The piece Stanley selected for display is titled "The Dream Woman".
"This piece is based on imagination and being within a dark and surreal place, however, it can bring about your strength and beauty and your resilience," Stanley said.
She said when an artist's work is exhibited, it is a form of freedom of expression.
"This piece is also very personal because I kind of see my mother in it, who is schizophrenic, so it has a personal connection, through healing and mental health and psychology and relating it to art and therapy."
Che Blenman : Kwame 2022
SHIRLEY BAHADUR
Che Blenman
The piece Blenman selected for display is titled "Kwame".
"I took the social commentary of the calypsonian and Kwame Ture aka Stokely Carmichael and fused it into one piece as a reflection of contemporary times," he said.
"It is a fulfilling experience to be amongst some prestigious artists in T&T and to even have a huge company like ANSA McAL take an interest in art. I feel blessed and elated."
Blenman said the display has inspired him to do even more pieces.