Thoughts of a minibus traveller

 ( This post refers to the exhibition Perspectives: Dialogue of a Brush  which features work by artists Roann Pierre, Leon Hardowar, Tammy Walker, Chelsea Ramotar, Demion Mack, Sheliza Rampersad, Lisa Thompson and Pekahiah James. I regret that I did not note down names of the pieces properly as I was not planning to write this blog. I mean no disrespect to the artists). Dancing Skeletons   The two dancers have on the black leotards with the bones marked on them. They are covered in fabric with oranges and yellows. - in the shape of butterfly wings on one dancer They move to the La Llorona   One of Roann Pierre's stunning pieces is near them, also with black, with oranges and yellows .  The piece refers to the duality of existence (I think). Roann Pierre used fabric in the piece, and it provides this unintentional backdrop to the two dancers from Guyana moving to the music from Mexico in commemoration of El Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead....

  Painting  "Take the brush  and put something on the canvas" Nigel Niix Butler from Nine Nations advised us. "Just start.." as he applied different colours and layers on one side of the large canvas.  Alvina Naughton from The Village Nook explained why she liked doing abstract art as she moved her brush on the opposite side of the large canvas which was in the middle of a group of about 10 people Sun cooling as we like to say in Guyana.  My hands start moving with brush and so even as mind trying to work out what to paint.  I mess up a few leaves doing leaf print - you have to use the back of the leaf as Alvina advised, and a thin layer of paint.. but I thought I know everything.. and so we start on our small canvases and then move to the big canvas.  Canvas which has some lines , but blank otherwise. The way we sitting down around the big canvas, I imagine this could be like a puja,.. a large havan. Alvina and Nigel as the pandits, and the canvas a...

L - image from Nigel Niix Butler; R- Image from Dominic Fernandes   Mouth..  Dominic Fernandes showed the man the Pledge by Men to End Violence against Women and Girls . The man said 'I don't do dem things.. me mout aint got cover, if I see any man being like duh I would holler pun he'.  Hot Thursday afternoon, first groundings since December 2024. Books laid out on an old freezer left near avenue, or owned by a cool down vendor. Hot dog stand opposite in front of the GRA building. Sherlina Nageer, Dominic Fernandes, Nigel Niix Butler and I  started on the Camp Street Avenue.   Sherlina leading on the discussions about access to safe abortion  . Dominic, Nigel and I engaging men about the pledge to end violence and about questioning ways of being a man generally.  Nigel set up two stools and started painting when we moved to the nice cool spot at Camp and Robb Street.  Groundings now evolving - Rodney; books and gaff;, books, poems and gaff; ...