Unit Coordinator’s Remarks

Art Connects Us

In the span of a few weeks, our world has changed. All feels upended. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced us to rethink much of the way we operate. Furthermore, the recent killing of black men and women in the U.S. has triggered global dissent against racial injustice and intensified a centuries-old cry for structural reforms. This is a time of deep reflection as we consider what it means to be human – indeed as we make a case around the world for being humane. We are refocusing our needs and seeking the means to meet them. Where does art fit in? Thinking about this moment, Darragh Hogan, Director of Kerlin Gallery in Dublin Ireland observes: “The need for connection and communication is amplified now, art has a vital role in meeting that.” Art has a significant function in bridging the spaces between us – those gaps created as we adhere to new social distancing protocols – and in helping us navigate the inner landscape of our mixed emotions. Art offers a language when we are overwhelmed and there are no words. This is the foundational understanding of art that we nurture at the Visual Arts Certificate programme at the UWI Department of Creative and Festival Arts. The work in this catalogue demonstrates our Certificate students’ efforts in a language; their knowledge of the fundamentals of a particular communicative form.

Marsha Pearce, PhD

Lecturer and Visual Arts Unit Coordinator

The cover of this catalogue features a painting titled “The Crowd” by Leonard Lewis. The work evokes a heat and energy reminiscent of recent images flooding our

television screens and social media feeds: people en masse in the streets, risking their lives to lend their bodies and voices to the fight against violence, inequality and oppression. The painting is not a literal representation but rather a careful use of colour and gesture to suggest movement and feeling.

Other work by Lewis reflect on this pandemic age. The piece “The New Normal” features two human figures with masked faces. Each person is turned away from the other as they direct their gaze at their mobile phones. This is a visual commentary on physical and virtual interactions in what is now a daily, overt masquerade. Justine Lai King’s drawing of a domestic interior is reminiscent of recent lockdown orders. For some of us, our homes have been a refuge in the pandemic battle. Yet, for others, the home has been a traumatic space of confinement. Bindhi Colai captures some of this pain in her piece “Crestfallen Soul.” The figure in the composition bends in agony. The colour blue is used symbolically to suggest a human psyche weighted by sorrow or “the blues.”

Undoubtedly, this challenging time is impacting mental health. Many of us are struggling to keep our spirits buoyed up. In our search for sources of comfort, the natural world is a remedy.

Outdoor views by Ariela Alleyne, Saniyah Bedeshi, Sharon-Rose Jattan, Joseann Modeste and Rajesh Tilkaran expand horizons beyond our doorsteps. Images of flora and fauna – Alleyne’s heliconias and Tilkaran’s scarlet ibis, for example – are reminders that there is life abundant all around us.

It is said the only constant in life is change. We are in an incredibly dynamic moment, where all is in rapid flux. Nemai Ali’s painting titled “Transformation” (see pg. 6) is an apt rendering of a reality in motion. His vibrant, curvilinear lines move in defiance of static, vertical and horizontal forms. Ali’s work gives us the visual syntax for articulating our current experiences. It is a picture that connects us. I am grateful for the work done by these students. I also extend appreciation to my colleagues; the lecturers in the Certificate in Visual Arts programme who continue to give their best to the teaching and learning process: Tessa Alexander, Michelle Boyd, David Cave, Jemima Charles, Allana Harley, Alex Kelly, Adiel Mahajan, Azeem Rahaman, Laurence Richardson, Rachel Rochford, Shalini Singh and Adele Todd.

Congratulations to the class of 2020 on reaching this milestone!

References

Wullschläger, Jackie. “How Contemporary Art is Changing in the Covid-19 Era,” Financial Times, April 20, 2020. Retrieved on June 9, 2020 from https://www.ft.com/content/25e1fc74-7fdf-11ea-8fdb-7ec06edeef84