Opened on a Wednesday night, to a pleasant crowd of colleagues, friends and well wishers. The Annex Gallery was light, the walls wasn't congested with work and gave a freedom to allow the work to breath, as I wondered where were they going to be placed.
Some artists work didn't make it and that was a disappointment or a blessing it would have crowed the little Annex Gallery, maybe a need for expanding the Annex Gallery?
Ann Hilton and David Subran seemed to be disappointed by the work presented. Due thou to logistics and a lack of critical analysis, which brings up the need for art education and critical thinking in our education system.
What can I say about the experience, first for the National Museum and as an artist. It was the first show with a comprehensive programme, a film night, an artists talk, printed catalogue and a certain investment into a curator thoughts. These are brave steps for a cultural body that has been stuck within a cultural vision of itself. The Jamaican Gallery have a programme where they invite curator to present shows.
We artists have always complained about the role of the Trinidad and Tobago National Museum in representing us the artists and translating our product to the community, to the state and to the corporate sector, for their understanding and betterment.
The Museum is there to connect ideas, bridge gaps, create alternative options and assumptions about life. There is still so much that we can present and talk about. If "We the Artists" is the beginning of a progressive investment into the exploration of the aesthetics, through the visual arts, design, dance, music, poetry, theater, then hey cool all good.
But if it's other endeavours are fast foods exhibitions that are pushed up then pulled down with no discerning footprints then the Museum and the community will miss the opportunity to mature culturally. We're at this time in our cultural history at a cross roads, It's bad really bad, as is evident by articles written or talked about art and culture in the media.
What can be said about this experience, only that there should have been a professional photographer to take shots of my work for the catalogue, does that mean that I have to invest in takeing my own professional photos of my work, yes!. But when an organization is carrying out such a project that is one of the perxs, getting your work photographed by a professional. That is a $2,000 investment I aint have, or if I have it, it's already been spent, Yo.
It's imperative that the artists participate with the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago. They need us to speak about their possiblities and they need to improve their present infrastructure, needed to truly facilitate projects.
Which means the National Museum will have to go head to head with the state to justify a much more intensive progressive yearly programming.
The National Museum will have also look at self financing their own programmes. Setting up a museum store, branding products, selling their services etc.
We the Artists, is a light in the armor of something that can be or may be happening. But I know it's happening in Alice Yard, Studio 66, the Abovegroup, the Studio Film Club, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, Reel Trini Films, Latin Nights, the Erotic Art Festival, the Red Earth Festival etc. The job of the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago is to articulate all dat Obeah!
I read Ann Hilton's review of this show in the Newsday. I think it is really amazing that such a poorly written piece was allowed to be published.
ReplyDeletePeter Minshall commented the lack of critical analysis about his work, at the 50th anniversary of the West indies. This is what he is alluding to.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing about this. Most of the confused comments made about contemporary art comes from a well travelled, educated and cultured middle class.
Our artists, galleries and National Museum, must be part of that reconstruction, much more than they have been in the past.
Interesting to note that the Liberal arts Department have a cultural studies programme that is about 7-10 years old, due to staffing problems relatively young. It is hoped that this will fill a needed gap.
Dean
I think too many people in T&T, including those who you would describe as "educated and cultured" have a warped view of what an artist is.
ReplyDeletePeople want to admire artists the way they admire Wendy Fitzwillams, or Brian Lara or Ato Bolden
Very interesting comment and observation, I like that. Loyd Best once said we're a shop keeper society buying and selling, we really not into developing proper content. We basically like the hustle.
ReplyDeleteWe lack the proper attention span.Thats why I guess We love the sensational heroes, dam you, if you make someone think.
I think artists are supposed to be anti heroes..they should want to destroy convention and the staus quo...as much as they want to create...they are not supposed to be loved or admired like role models .only be appreciated in the context that they want to show us what we don't want to see.
ReplyDeleteart gives us what we need not what we want
we live in an insecure culture that constantly craves reassurance that we 'matter'. ..its sad
It is interesting you say that. At the symposium that we had in October, on art design and architecture one of the panelist mentioned in their presentation, this "fear factor". Then I was having a conversation with another arstist about doing an interview and their concern was being black listed.
ReplyDeleteThe anti heroe artists will be hard to find in these days, they do exsist, some have managed to get their voices be heard. More of the others are drowned out by the noise we ourselves are making.
They lurk in the back round doing their doing. Thats why our cultural institutions are so important. They also need to be democratic, open minded and non political.
Our education have done us serious harm in our ability to deconstruct our society. So more than ever we do reflections and representations.
Take Embahs work. He is an example of an anti heroe. How do we see is drums and xylophone in our modern society. Why should his work be so relevant?
His work may be more relevant now more than ever, in this materialist society.
Why has the Museum never done a retropective of his work.........................
Dean
"Due thou to logistics and a lack of critical analysis, which brings up the need for art education and critical thinking in our education system."
ReplyDeleteExplain what you mean here, because that's my Dad. Thanks ^^
what happens to art and society, due to a lack of critical thought.
ReplyDeleteI will quote Peter Minshal-
"There have been only news reports. The work was colourful. Or it was not colourful. It was, inevitable and without reason, 'controversial'. It was keenly anticipated. It had X number of masqueraders. But never, ever, a writer adressed how it worked as a work of art. This is a great disapointment to me".
Anniversary Issue 2010, STAN pg.39.
This lack of criticality brings us to superficial levels, a blurb to the state and to people. We dont understand or try to understand the connection of people and things and their natural logic to the ballance of things in our world.
A lack of critical thought in a society becomes anti intellectual. Where an education system was and still is,just developing work drones,to repeat information.
A society that lacks this awareness becomes anti humanism, not respecting rights of people and space. Critical awarness will tell you that one is connected to the other, in deep emotional, intellectual and physical ways.
It's knowing why, that young man took the car and ran off to do what he did, ending up in a tragic circumstance.....most aware mothers know this of their children. They can break it down.
Critcality is breaking it down, a society can become hostile, racist and very basic. Cause we can't sit, to listen and understand the words that are appearing before our eyes.
Prof. Hucthinson says we suffer from ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is an account of their overactive, implusive and inattentive natures, that it has skewed the capacity to determine what is pathological.
UWI TODAY pg9 30th August 2009.
I remember going to see Pink Floyd the WALL, there wasnt much people in the cinema. But when they realized what they were watcihng half of the people got up and walked out.
We love our movies, but how many of us can break down a generic movie like AVATAR or that movie? where Fresh Price was a super heroe, ah HANCOCK?. Which may have other symbolist meanings in them that can be telling another story, ablivious of the viewer.
You can end up dancing to music, thats anti YOU!
Through critical conversation, we can set our standards of quality. Where we will be able to sift out the fakers and the plagerist and hail our young geniuses on the horizon.
You ever wondered why know one has openly spoken of the Brian McFarlan/Peter Minshall situation, the OVAL MURAL PROJECT, THE WATERFRONT GALLERY, THE BRIAN LARA installation, (well that was done online by Rubidiri Victor).
We need to implant serious tools in our education system that will allow our students to start, their converstions from early. Allow them to break it down.
It's not only art, but art coupled with other tools that will give students the ability to create the analytical vision then the language to speak. So I will say history, sociology, ethics, morality (not religious studies), philosophy and ART!, which then gives the student the ability to go in find and develop, invent a whole new world.
Oh, many of our business people have NO! clue how this reads out for greater economics at the bottom line. The INNOVATIVE INDUSTRY, that they speak of is and can only be drivenn by a critically aware society.
I hope this helps in some way. D.A.
Yes, I understand what is meant by critical thought an so forth. But I suppose I am just a bit confused why that statement was made after my Dad's name. Are you saying that he possesses not these skills you've so broadly described here? Or was it just a sour coincidence?
ReplyDeleteOh, Your father wrote in one of the national newspapers, that there were no catalogs present or no one around to guide the viwer through the show. That is the "logistical" or planning situation that I was talking about.
ReplyDeleteThat falls at the feet of the institution and the curator that held the event.
It's one of the solutions to create an open environment for the viewer to negotiate through a show, finally, to understand it. especially for this show..........
But it's not the only solution.
coming to dads defence, like that.
I think that the initial problem was that you identified two individuals, accusing them of being disappointed with the work.
ReplyDeleteWhat you should have done (if you wanted to point fingers) was to quote their words.
Opinion letters are just for that, opinions. You can't say some one was not educated in art or is not thinking critically enough because he did not see what you saw, or misinterpreted your intentions.
You're rather misleading in your statement there, that they did not possess the intellectual prowess of one who thinks critically. He was just disappointed by the poor organisation of something that was widely advertised as something to be a very grand opening. The quantity of the works presented did not match the advertising. Perhaps problems emerged in the organising of the event.
Constructive criticism offers a framework for building solutions. But people tend to get defensive and aggressive, and so the problems remain.
These two responses are examples of a problem that I feel exist. One opinion from a writer that writes about art and one was a comment made by an individual about his experience at the gallery.
ReplyDeleteOne is how do we bridge gaps betwen the viewer and the art object, thats what curators and artists do or try to do.
The other is a lack of understanding about contempoary art/culture, by our journalist who respond to such events.
OK, most shows installed are problematic in there own right, with this and that,. The lack of personel, the lack of catalogs, lack of food and there was this and that. There comes a time the individual must sit and contemplate the work, one of the reasons there are seats in galleries or should be seats.
I'm saying that in Trinidad and Tobago, most of the time we do not see the work, because we dont give the object the time thats needed.
The catalogs, the signage and the little head phones you get at major museums and galleries helps. But, we're in Trinidad and Tobago. SO we fall short, we fall well short.
When are we going to say that it's about us being responsible for understanding the things thats happening around us. I'm expanding on your fathers experience, not on your father.
I was there when three women came in from the University and when looking at Michelles Isava performance video, made some flippant remarks and walked out. They never sat on the seats provided and even gave it a chance, even though they had catalogs in their hands, there was the curator somewhere in the audience, did they talk to her? . These women, I didnt see at the artists talk, I'm not sure if they went to the film night to get that deeper understanding.
You are saying that I said this of them, I'm saying that, when artists have shows there must be proper protocol of a show and there should be people in the media who can write about art and culture.
I have been reading Ann Hilton's collums for a while she has writen about my work, she is a sincere writer, when she does not understands something, she does not, nutten rong wid dat, as well as something is wrong with DAT.
I'm speaking from my experience. Just as David Subran spoke of his experience. Remember this was prited in the press, both comments.
Pointing fingers,nah,
We can use his experience to speak to an issue that artists have spoken about, for along time.
lets talk of the experience.
I mentioned in the multicultural symposium, held by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism as we embark on developing our CULTURAL POLICY. We must empower the Natioanl Museum and Art Gallery and our education institution, to empower our people, our cultural students, and journalist.
The University was approached by a notable media icon and other notable journalists in the media industry to create a journalism course or beef up the course. Ask the question, why?
They found that there was a lack of professional journalism in the newspapers at this time.
I, as citizen fall into this, I to suffer from the tings we suffer from. Lacking the attention span, I'm eveolving.
LOL.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing. Dude, you're beating around some mad bush, trying to not sound as though you insulted my father's intelligence. It's ok, I know better.
Just wanted you to better to cite your statements. I am satisfied ^^
DArlen, was it too much trouble to quote David Subran's actual words so we could make our own perception of what was said and THEN you could have interjected what YOU thought that he MIGHT have meant? You don't flat out say 'HE MEANT THIS' because I personally know him, he thinks about what he says BEFORE he says it and is not so subtle that you have to guess what he was getting at - he would come out and say exactly what he meant and it would make sense AND be backed by his reasoning NOT somebody Else's quotes taken out of context..... I do know that I am a terrible speller, yet I have enough pride in my work/words to hit the spell check button and proof read my words because these comments you made were not only spelt incorrectly, questions were NOT clearly answered when you actually answered the actual question posed, this was alot of unnecessary effort for me to read - I totally agree with Portia's last comments and I eagerly await your response....
ReplyDeleteAnd the above words that Darcel posted are my words as I am having trouble posting to your remarks - I am still waiting for your 'response'...
ReplyDeleteAngelique
I will say again that I never commented on your fathers intelligence, but expanded on his experience at the exhibition.
ReplyDeleteIF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE WITH IT LIKE THAT,COOL.
See you at the next exhibition, forum.