The Art of the Savannah

A painting by Kenderson Norway.
A painting by Kenderson Norway.

HAVE you ever driven or walked around the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, and been awed by the beauty of the plants and trees or the masterful architecture of the buildings? Well, imagine if a group of artistic eyes and talent were used to bring these colourful sites to life. Then you have an idea of the pieces on display at the Around D' Savannah exhibition, which celebrates the Savannah and environs.

The opening of the exhibition, a collaboration between Horizons Art Gallery and Hilton Trinidad, was held on Thursday at the Hilton lobby. It featured 63 pieces by 16 artists, a number of them self-taught. The exhibition is the tenth instalment of Art at the Hilton, a quarterly celebration of local art and culture.

Artist Estevan Dubrisingh, left, shows of his painting to Hilton's general manager Olivier Maumaire and Lisa Reid, Horizons Art Gallery director.

Hilton Trinidad general manager Oliver Maumaire said the initial idea was to promote local art to hotel customers.

"Many of the customers who come, their only experience of Trinidad will be the hotel, because they come for business, etcetera. So we wanted to show a little more (of the country)."

He explained art is part of the master plan for the hotel, also because the hotel has a big legacy, having the second largest collection of art in the country. The exhibition is also meant to give young artists an opportunity to showcase their work and offer an opportunity for guests to meet the artists and understand their art.

Maumaire said at a previous exhibition, while setting up, a guest had crossed the lobby on his way out.

"He saw one piece, and I guess it was love at first sight – and we sold the first piece even before the exhibition was open. We have a lot of guests who are purchasing."

Illya Borde depicts the President House.

He said Hilton is partnering with Horizons Art Gallery, which has the capacity to ship any piece.

"We are not only exhibiting young artists but selling art to people visiting the island."

Maumaire said it is a great programme, as there are not many platforms in Trinidad for this type of show.

The Hilton is also partnering with the Academy for the Performing Arts to showcase young local artists. Maumaire said the best graduating students are selected and perform at Art at the Hilton as well as other hotel activities. The event also showcases The Chocolate Box with handmade chocolate, all from local Trinitario cocoa beans.

Horizons Art Gallery manager Lisa Leid said it is the second year Horizons and Hilton have partnered for the exhibition. Horizons has moved to quarterly shows for this exhibition, because the time of the year features kite-flying, flowering trees, breezes and the wind – "art around the Savannah just captured that."

She said the exhibition featured a wide variety of artists and the curators tried to feature a wide variety of styles as they wanted to showcase "the wide talent of Trinidad."

There's photography by Ziad Joseph as well as oil and acrylic work from very realistic to more impressionistic.

Hilton's general manager Olivier Maumaire, second from left with some of his guests at the opening of Art at the Hilton ..Around D Savannah.

She explained previously the work was in the lobby but this year it has been extended to the dining area, down the stairwell and into the dining room.

"So we're trying to make it a broader event."

Trinidadian/Mexican artist Estevan Dubrisingh said the exhibition was about his tenth show overall, his second at the Hilton after participating in the New Faces Exhibition last August, and his first with Horizons. He recalled when Leid called him a few months ago about the exhibition he had been planning a few of the paintings, so the timing was perfect.

"I run around the Savannah all the time, so I try to stop and take pictures and get the seasons and everything changing. And this is my favourite time of the year, where the grass is kind of yellowing."

Dubrisingh described his artistic style as "Trini impressionist."

"I try to paint what I see of Trinidad. So I see a really pretty sky and that kind of stuff. So that is what I try to capture.

Illya Borde depicts the President House.

"I am influenced a lot by (late local artist) Boscoe Holder and a lot of Mexican artists because I am half Mexican. And I kind of put everything in and try to make it my own a little bit."

He said he focuses on colour and working with new techniques. including a collage of a poui tree for his piece In Memory of my Favourite Yellow with everything else in oil. His favourite of his five pieces on display is A Lil' Sunday Rugby: he used to play rugby at a very amateur level and the day the piece is based on, he was watching the teams get together, and because it was raining, it was "a really dramatic kind of sky."

"For me it really takes me back to that day."

Dubrisingh also made his own frames, as he found difficulty in acquiring ebony frames like those on Dutch paintings.

Career artist Hayden Geeawan contributed two standout pieces: Kite Season, which evokes nostalgia and longing with skilful lighting and are cognisable scenes of boys letting their kites drift into the sky; and A Cool Drink –a still-life composition of four coconuts and a glass of coconut water that is the perfect backdrop to a great lime.

Joseph's five dramatic photographs explode with vibrant colour, especially the epic Boissiere House at Night, dreamy snapshots of Savannah life and sites, and there are eight acrylic paintings by Charles "Mackie" Gruny, plus the deep and rich hues of Illya Borde's eight pieces, which are mainly of flowers at the Botanical Gardens.

The exhibition continues until April 11.

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"The Art of the Savannah"

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