Artists display beautiful pieces in Main Street exhibition – attendance poor

Artist Ras Iah works on his latest piece.
Artist Ras Iah works on his latest piece.

Minister of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton on Thursday met members of the Guyana United Artist Association (GUAA) whose three-day exhibition at Main Street Avenue ends today.

The organisation was founded 25 years ago and has 34 members. However, only 5 artists were represented at the exhibition. Norton expressed disappointment to find them just setting up when he arrived close to midday. He said he had been expecting more artists and spectators as stated in the invitation he received. However, he interacted with the members of the association along with two art vendors plying their trade nearby.

The five artists present were General Secretary of the GUAA Desmond Alli, President of the GUAA Linden Gemmott, Kenneth Nelson, Eon Waterton and Ras Iah. Sculptures carved from wood were the majority of pieces displayed. Each piece was outstanding.

 Among Gemmott’s pieces were two Bob Marley sculptures and a horse head. One of the Marley pieces was larger and lacquered while the other was smaller and free from polish. Both were carved from the letter wood.

“I got the letter wood from the Cuyuni River at a place called Tapir,” Gemmott shared. “I went there to do some gold mining work seven years ago… at the same time I walk with my tools because I was looking for exotic species of wood. I stumbled into one letter wood tree. It wasn’t so big but I brought all the usable pieces. The texture of wood is different from the common wood we use, some part of it is hard and some part of it is semi-hard. To work it you have to be more delicate than the other kind of wood. The varnish helps to protect it especially from the sun but some persons would prefer the unvarnished Bob Marley sculpture as that one shows the natural feature of the wood more that I’m trying to expose,” he added.

A Berbician, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art from the University of Guyana. He shared that he has been selling along Main Street since 1990 and though he had taken a break, he has been back out almost every day since the start of the year. He explained that life as an artist is not easy and there are times when artists sell nothing. Gemmott will be on Main Street even after the exhibition.

One of Waterton’s most popular pieces is the carved pirate. He showcased two of them; one had a real gold tooth. Waterton was selling the sculpture for $4,000. He said that while he knew it was worth much more, Guyanese are not too keen on paying for art. But it is a passion he is intent on continuing even if it means selling pieces for less than they are worth. Nearby onlookers we’re trying to figure out a peculiar piece. The artist said it was a sentimental one that demonstrated two people doing the frog leap where one was jumping over the other’s back, a game popularly played by children.

Alli, who organized the exhibition, displayed paintings he did on canvas. The pieces were done in a composition form and one illustrated Guyana’s history beginning with Cuffy and ending with republic. The sculptor and painter, who has been in the arts for more than 40 years, does not sell his pieces on Main Street. His studio — ‘Desmond Alli Continental Artist’ — is in East Ruimveldt.

 Alli explained that the artists present were those who would ply their trade along Main Street, but the number present on Thursday was not representative of the collective that exhibited at the Umana Yana. “These are the artists in this country who have given their golden years to doing this and they are not getting [anything] in return; they are left to live like beggars. One of the things the ministry can do is have artists… who have a vision of the art and tourism industry and the ministry dealing with culture and the ministry dealing with tourism come together. Culture and tourism should be one and because they are separate it defeats the purpose of vision for improvement. We need marketing. We are not having the support of the government, not this government nor the previous government,” he said.

Roxanne Adams, a retired visual arts teacher from St George’s High, who taught the subject for 25 years, displayed tie-dyed fabric and attire, along with tibisiri placemats. The woman shared that she has been selling in the avenue for years. She also sells snacks and is considered to have the best mauby in town. She was planning to participate in the Youth Village Fair at Square of the Revolution yesterday (Friday) and today.

 Ras Iah had several handsome pieces including a miner with a gold pan.

A cheery Nelson was busy interacting with customers and friends who were eyeing his display of creative handmade jewelry. He also had a showcase of wooden sculptures.

Meanwhile, in response to the minister’s expressed disappointment Alli said that the ministry has not been putting anything into the art industry for the last four years. “So what do you expect? The artists are scattered and not assembled and in terms of the work that was displayed today, it is qualitative work. The work of a historic importance [that] not even the minister himself could have conceived or interpreted what I just explained to him,” a visibly upset Alli remarked.

Norton, asking to have the last comment, said, “Mr Alli seems to be on a mission to counter what is being said here. First of all, he is very inaccurate to say the ministry has not been putting in anything into art. Mr. Alli is in no position to make such a statement. It is erroneous and I hope that he would correct it and after this I say no more. He wrote to us and invited me to open an exhibition. I’ve come here many times before to speak and open exhibitions where persons put more into it, not these three stalls that I’m seeing and that is what I’m referring to. I in no way tried to say to the artists that they don’t need more help….but to come and to say that the reason you have three booths represented when you’re inviting a minister to come and open an exhibition should not be left on the shoulders of the ministry…. It’s going to put me in a very bad situation because I’ve got to be more careful with the type of exhibition or so-called exhibition that I’m going to be present at. While I’m interested in art whether it’s collective or individual and I would want to come, just to bring me out to an exhibition like this just to say that the government is not doing enough… I’m the first to say we have done things, we haven’t done enough, there’s a far way to go and I think we can only do so without pointing fingers and doing this together. Everybody has a right to their opinions but it doesn’t mean their opinions are right.”