Artist changes gears with Re-emergence

Ato Osei aka Nerukhi will launch his fourth one-man exhibition at the House of Creative People in Marabella.

The artist, who regularly shifts gears from stage performer to music and video producer, to calypso administrator and music promoter, is heading back to his painting. Nerukhi participated in the Exhibition of Fine Art held at the Mayaro Civic Centre during Carifesta in August.

In the calypso arena, Nerukhi is known for his unorthodox calypso renditions and his pioneering work in taking calypso to schools in south. The former La Romaine Secondary School visual arts teacher is turning his focus to landscape paintings.

The exhibition, which runs from November 17-23 at 139 Southern Main Road, is titled Re-emergence.

Nerukhi, who was the Corinth Teachers College Teacher of the Year (Male) 2005, was also the top visual art student among his graduating class, said a media release. He has performed with Kaiso Showkase and designed the set for the tent in 2018 and 2019 at Palms Club, San Fernando, said a media release

He is uncertain about his participation in the calypso tent for 2020, however, he is busy working on Re-emergence, the release said. He future plans include a major exhibition during Carnival 2020.

Nerukhi has exhibited at the Trevor Byron-owned Southern Art Gallery (formerly at Cocoyea Village) and featured in joint exhibitions with other artistes. His uses acrylic on canvas and his local landscape paintings seek to draw attention to the great treasure of local environmental beauty and eco-tourism opportunity in TT as some of the historic treasures that may soon vanish from the memory of the current generation, the release said.

Nerukhi believes the arts provide great avenues for creative expression, emotional therapy and income generation and are also a most unappreciated and underutilised tool in social development and education.