Despite being disappointed by the limited number of artworks that participating countries are allowed to feature at the upcoming Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) in Trinidad & Tobago, the Guyanese Visual Arts delegation is confident that the selected pieces will leave an impression at the event.
According to the curator of the National Gallery of Art, Ohene Koama, the host country’s management committee for CARIFESTA XIV decided that instead of hosting a number of art exhibitions, there will only be one grand exhibition. As a result, each participating country is restricted to presenting a maximum of ten art pieces thereby adding a greater degree of difficulty to the selection process. However, Koama said that despite being disappointed, they have managed to select ten of the best entries that were submitted which represent the artworks of eight Guyanese artists.
In previous years, the Guyanese visual arts
delegation reportedly took over forty pieces of artwork which included six pieces (the maximum allowed) of artworks by the three selected delegates who would represent Guyana at CARIFESTA.
This year, Betsy Karim, Elodie Cage-Smith and Kamalita Herallal were adjudged winners of the established artist category, emerging artist category and the young artist category respectively. The trio along with Koama, who will be the curator of the art pieces at CARIFESTA, make up the Visual Arts delegation and will represent Guyana at CARIFESTA in Trinidad & Tobago later this month.
Artists who submitted entries for each category were judged on presentation, technique and the technical ability of the artist and were required to submit a portfolio to show what they are capable of doing.
Koama assured that despite the change in the number of art pieces to be featured at this year’s CARIFESTA, the Visual Arts delegation is confident the selected art pieces will leave an impression at CARIFESTA. “The works that the artists have submitted is a great submission,” he said during an interview with Stabroek News at Castellani House.
Further, he said that it was painful not being able to include the other outstanding artworks by various artists. “There are no shortages of expression,” he said in relation to the art works that were submitted. The art works that will be showcased at the exhibition will be from Sculpture, Fine Craft, Painting and Drawing. Due to limited amount of submissions from the photography segment, there will not be a photography representation this year.
The artworks are currently packed in crates and ready to be shipped off to Trinidad.
CARIFESTA gathers artists, musicians, authors and exhibits the folkloric and artistic manifestations of the Caribbean region. This year, CARIFESTA events will begin on August 22nd and end on the 26th in Trinidad & Tobago.
