Traditional mas exhibition at National Library

The Heritage Library Division of the National Library and Information System Authority (Nalis), in collaboration with Women in Art Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago and the Lewis Collection, is hosting a Carnival exhibition titled The Guardians of Tradition: The Art and Legacy of TT Mas, at the library.

The exhibition consists of two parts, both aimed at highlighting TT's unique, traditional Carnival characters, a media release said.

The first part, in the atrium, features mask heads, costumes and enlarged images of traditional mas characters such as Dame Lorraine, minstrels, moko jumbies, jab jab, fancy Indians, baby doll, jab molassie, pierrot grenade, bats and the midnight robber.

Books and other information materials and highlights of the Wayne Berkeley Carnival Revolution as well as the Brian Honoré Collection are also on display, the release said.

The second part of the exhibition, at the News Media Room on the ground floor, showcases acrylics, ink drawings and watercolour paintings as well as wood carvings of traditional Carnival characters done by emerging and experienced female artists. There are prints, handmade postcards and canvas boards. The detailed wood carvings provide dimension and symmetry to the exhibition.

Delivering remarks to the small gathering of art and Carnival enthusiasts at the launch, director of Heritage Library Division Jasmin Simmons said, “This exhibition is important for us to continue to highlight our traditions, to guard against a type of amnesia that is seeping into our culture.

“It is heartwarming to see a revisioning of these characters by a new generation of masmakers, using the time-honoured medium of papier mache ingredients and wire, but also honouring the environment at the same time, using sustainable products.”

The exhibition runs until March 25.