WE THE ARTISTS An exhibition bringing together local and foreign artists

Curated by Nicollete Ramirez

January 5 – January 26, 2011

Opening Reception: Wednesday January 5, 2011, 6-8 pm

The National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to present WE THE ARTISTS, an exhibition bringing together local and foreign artists, curated by Nicollette Ramirez, Director of the Creative Collective Beez and Honey.

Trinidad is about racial and cultural mélange, discourse about that mix, and dissent and division too. I decided to create an exhibition that would mix Trinidadian artists with their contemporaries outside of the island. I wanted the artists to have a conversation and in that conversation make breakthroughs intellectually, emotionally, creatively and spiritually. My choices are my own, based on my experience with the art and the artists and relationships, both new and long standing. The impetus of a curator to acquire work is hardly different from that of an art collector or an art dealer; the desire is the same. The curator however, has the responsibility to present the work for purely aesthetic and intellectual reasons while the collector and dealer can afford to be more decadent in their motivation (to make money, to show off). I’ve tried to include artists from every corner of the globe. If a region is under-represented it is only because of my own lack of knowledge/experience in that region. E.g. Africa. I’m still learning what that vast continent has to offer in terms of the arts.

WE THE ARTISTS is an attempt to give the viewer a chance to engage in the conversation between the works of foreign and local artists using the unifying language of images. Images are open to interpretation and discussion, but unarguably images are a unifying language across the world. Consider the universal signs for WC, Children Crossing, No Smoking and so on. The artists in this exhibition offer a range of images and media for the viewer to identify common theories, emotions, social, philosophical and political concerns, regardless of where they are from. On the other hand, they also challenge the viewer by denying them the easy interpretation of their work, based on prior knowledge of their background.

WE THE ARTISTS is a start to the conversation; there are no answers here, just a few questions put on the table to consider. There is room for growth and a further expanding of the horizons. A major objective of the exhibition is a desire for local artists to make connections and get their work out to the larger world as well as to bring foreign artists to Trinidad to enjoy and be inspired by our rich culture.

LIST OF ARTISTS

Marina Abramovic (Former Yugoslavia)

Antoni Amat (Spain)

Kristin Anderson (USA)

Dean Arlen (Trinidad)

Clarina Bezzola (Switzerland)

Ashley Bickerton (UK/USA/Indonesia)

Juanli Carrion (Spain)

Gordon Cheung (UK)

Uri Dotan (Israel/USA)

Ivars Drulle (Latvia)

Marcel Eichner (Germany)

Embah (Trinidad)

Wyatt Gallery (USA/Trinidad)

Vicente Grondona (Argentina)

Anne Herzog (France)

Michelle Isava (Trinidad)

Kwynn Johnson (Trinidad)

Thomas Kiesewetter (Germany)

Danny Licul (USA)

Jiandyin (Jiradej & Pornpilai Meemalai) (Thailand)

Wael Noureddine (Lebanon/France)

Anselm Reyle (Germany)

Spencer Tunick (USA)

Vadis Turner (USA)

Carlo Zanni (Italy)

SHORT VIDEO/FILM NIGHT: Friday October 14, 2010 Time TBD

LECTURE/TALK/DISCUSSION: Thursday January 20, 2010 Time TBD

PERFORMANCE NIGHT: Wednesday January 25, 2010 6-8 pm

Address: The National Museum and Art Gallery
117 Frederick Street,Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies