Ataklan goes on historical journey through art

MARK "Ataklan" Jiminez is taking people on a journey back in time in his latest venture, Sailor Bones, an art exhibition with pieces reflecting ancestral history and what led to expressions we know today as Carnival.

Jiminez, also known for his rapso music, has over 60 pieces on show at his first exhibition at Arnim's Art Galleria on Tragarete Road in Port of Spain. He has been a musician since the 1990s, with songs like De Flood being a popular one.

The exhibition, which still has a modern feel, opened on February 10 and runs until February 19.

Describing the theme of the exhibition, Jiminez said, "Sailor Bones is a coalescence of the residue of all the journeys our ancestors took or endured to arrive – slave ships, immigrant ships, colonial flotillas and canoes, all converging across different timelines to create a dimension and a curated masquerade.

"We all came here by boats...we all gathered here at this place and it became a beautiful melting pot of creativity – what we know as Carnival now."

He said love, slavery and J'Ouvert are all seen in the paintings.

The titles include Sailor Boy, Carnival Coming, Police and Jab Jab, Sailor Pose, Calypso Charlie, Dream Yuh Dream, State of Emergency, Douen Boy and Taj Mahal in Port of Spain.

The pieces were completed in quick time as his creative ideas were flowing.

"This was done in a period of just under three months...I isolated myself a bit and focused...a period of inspiration, a wave that happened and I just had to drop everything.

"Some (pieces) are figurative, some are abstract, some expression, it is not one style per se. I have been painting since I was small...for relaxation reasons. I always try to make a connection between the visual and the music."

He said some of his albums in the past would include his artwork and the work of other artists on the album cover, including that of Christopher Cozier, Wendell Mc Shine and Nayasana.

Jiminez's exhibition has a foreword by Peter Doig, the leading Scots-born artist who has had exhibitions around the world. Doig has had a home in Trinidad for many years.