In preparation for the third Visions Exhibition, submissions of photographs of any genre are being accepted between now and April 17.
The photographic exhibition, first shown in 2016 and then in 2018 is organised by Guyanese photographers Michael C Lam and Karran Sahadeo, though Sahadeo resides abroad. The biennial exhibition allows photographers the chance and needed time to participate in the Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition.
Photographers wishing to enter must be a resident of Guyana with a valid identification card and can submit photographs of any category captured on any device. Persons are asked to enter three to five images along with a theme of their own choosing for consideration. All submissions are to be of digital format, through which a final selection of the images will be made based on their quality and adherence to the theme. This selection will be curated into a single collection for the exhibition under a narrative conceptualized by Sahadeo based on the overall submissions.
At the last exhibition, a total of 30 photographers submitted 137 images. From these, a selection of 30 images from 15 photographers was made for the final set to be exhibited with some having only a single piece selected while others had more than ones. Each piece was printed as gallery wraps, canvas on 16”x24” frames. It must be noted that because it is a curated exhibition and not a competition, pieces are not chosen based on being the best, but on being part of a narrative that emerges from the submitted photos.
“Originally, the exhibition was created to save Capture Guyana (which the government at the time failed to complete – longish story),” Lam said. “But the approach is different, having a curated exhibition gives photographers and art lovers a chance to view photography differently, more in keeping with the traditional arts and less of just a show of pretty pictures. It allows for photographers to think not only of single images but in terms of collections or grouping photos into groups based on themes.
“With Karran’s background in the arts [he developed the photography curriculum for the E R Burrowes School of Art in Georgetown and coordinated The Photography Sessions], our approach has been also one of educating the viewing public through the curated images and the curator’s notes, encouraging them to look at the exhibition as not just photographs, but as a collection of photos and to delve themselves for the story being told by the curator and by the sometimes seemingly diverse photos.”
An ‘Expression of Interest’ book will also be available for persons wishing to purchase exhibited pieces. These persons can leave their names and contact information in the book and they will be contacted with regard to the piece or pieces they are interested in. All purchases are done between the photographer and the client. However, sold pieces will not be allowed to be taken away until the end of the exhibition.
This year, Visions Exhibition will be hosted by the National Gallery of Art at the Castellani House as its featured exhibition for Guyana’s independence celebrations. Formal dates are still to be announced. Photographers wanting more details, wishing to view previously exhibited images or interested in being a part of the exhibition can check out Visions’ website at visions.gy
