No doubt, these observations were made partly because of the complete absence of work representing the Indian-Guyanese imagination from that premiere regional exposition of the Arts, then taking place in Jamaica.
It should be noted that historically, East Indian artists were active in the earliest organizations of artists -- the Arts and Crafts Society founded by British expatriate amateurs in 1929 and the first nationalist Guianese Art Group founded in 1940s. According to Williams himself, East Indian artist, David Singh,was a foundation member of the Arts and Craft Society as well as a member of the Guianese Art Group which comprised professionals from among African, East Indians, Portuguese, British and persons of mixed origin, including E.R. Burrowes, Hubert Moshett and Vivian Antrobus.
A cursory glance at the art scene in the '60s and '70s would reveal, besides David Singh, such names as Cyril Kanhai, Keith Khan, Chinapen, Suresh Hanoman, the late Maurice Khan and Jai Nauth.
How, then, did Denis Williams arrive at these astonishing conclusions in 1976? The reason, of course, for Indian invisibility in the "mainstream", as any student of Guyana's political history would know, is bound up with the racial, political and cultural polarization which reached a new peak with the emergence of the most repressive authoritarian regime in the Anglophone Caribbean. Significantly, by the mid-70s when Denis Williams was penning his version of the history of contemporary art -- From Colonial to Revolutionary -- he had become one of the principal ideologues of the Guyanese Socialist revolution.
The nexus, therefore, between Indian visibility/marginalization and the ethno-cultural political hegemony -- called the "socialist" revolution or perhaps synonymous with it -- would not have been seen, much less admitted, by Williams. Williams, incidentally, throughout the '70s and the '80s, chartered the course of "mainstream" art, dictated what constituted the "national" patrimony, who represented Guyana at regional/international exhibitions and above all, who were represented in the National Collection...
But this, course, is all history which should perhaps be swept under the carpet--but for the fact that since that era, both the National Collection (founded in 1950 and now housed at Castellani House) and state sponsored exhibitions showcasing Guyanese art at home and abroad, have continued to represent the talent and sensibility of the Indian Guyanese artist through a mere tokenistic or marginal presence. But again, this should perhaps be swept under the carpet.
This exhibition consequently seeks to acknowledge the artists, unknown and unsung, who remained "aloof from the mainstream", who fell into that abyss of non-recognition or joined the exodus of people fleeing abroad.
Deserving, too, of critical attention are those popular landscape painters, outside of the "mainstream", whose works have consoled and kept alive the spirit and humble homes of Guyanese across the racial spectrum.
More importantly, this exhibition pays homage to an unrecognized current of traditional art, sustained throught the decades by a significant number of craftsmen and women who, like their anonymous counterparts in the medieval ages, have continued to produce an indispensable range of artifacts for mandirs, festivals, rituals and other ceremonial occasions.
This traditional art--its icons, artifacts and religious symbology--has provided the visual models and traditions that have influenced the artists represented in this exhibition. Philbert Gajadhar, Betsy Karim, Amerindian-Indian artist, Desmond Alli and I have all drawn inspiration from the non-European, rich visual culture of Indian Guyanese: from the Jhandi flags and gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon of myself, Gajadhar and Alli, to the synthesis of the Hindu-Muslim symbology of Betsy Karim.
Though modest in scope, this exhibition brings together, for the first time, a body of work which demonstrates the distinctive nuances of sensibility and imagination of these artists who all emerged in the 1980s. Importantly, their works not only reflect a rich ancestral legacy, but also engage current issues of race, politics and the existential dilemmas and the pain of the present time.
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DESMOND ALLI
Arts in Resistance
After more than 500 years of Resistance against European cultural dominance, it is time for the people of the Region to move on. As a sculptor, my work has focussed on a series of monuments that highlight the affinity that exists between the peoples of Latin America, the Caribbean and Guyana.
The sculptural pieces selected for this exhibition explore the creative representation of Hindu deities in a Meso-American technique. The paintings on the 5th, 6th and 7th Sun (the Kaliyuga series) reflect an age of degeneration and global terror, a dreadful predicament of violent destruction that threatens to consume all mankind. With each passing day, more dreadful news of man's inhumanity to man unfold.
Desmond Alli
Manifestations of Lord Shiva
Sculpture
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PHILBERT GAJADHAR
The Dark Circle
My paintings are tied to the Indo-Guyanese story of dislocation and survival. As a people we have gone through a painful series of dislocations and relocations. We have endured continued cultural neglect: firstly, under the exploitative indentureship system in the latter half of the 19th Century and, secondly, in the 1960s, during the racial fallout between Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham.
We have been deprived of true participation and kept "aloof from the mainstream". We are traumatized by our fellowmen--this continues to unfold before our very eyes, year after year.
But the truth is, we have not been destroyed, we have survived at a tremendous psychic cost... ... in yet another home... ... yet another crossing.
Philbert Gajadhari
Aarti
Acrylic on Canvas
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BETSY KARIM
Ancestral Vessels
The designs executed on clay-pots and fabric, represent a series of historic events that shaped the diverse and rich character of the Indian Civilization, beginning with the Aryan invasion of the great Indus Valley culture.
On the occasion of this historial month of May I take great pleasure in highlighting the mineral wealth, the rich scintillating colours, the diverse religions and the historic landmarks of our ancestral civilization.
Betsy Karim
Lotus City
Painted terra-cotta clay pot
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BERNADETTE INDIRA PERSAUD, A.A.
Challenging the established Gods
I took up painting, in the early 1980s, when I was forced to leave my teaching career. Painting, for me, became a point of departure, for exploring themes of political oppression, identity and mortality. In retrospect, it was also a quest tied up with that complex of needs for creativity, originality and an authentic god/Self.
The works selected for display in this exhibition not only highlight specific aesthetic, philosophical and political concerns, but also focus on my impulse as an Indo-Guyanese artist -- located in a particular geographic and metaphysical space -- to challenge, subvert and redefine existing notions and perceptions about our art and nature of our relaity, here in Guyana.
Bernadette Persaud
Shiva - embracing the Others
Acrylic on Canvas