[Many thanks to Veerle Poupeye (Critical.Caribbean.Art) for bringing this item to our attention.] Kimberly Wallace writes about the exhibition “From the Land of the Hummingbird.” Curated by Kathryn Chan, “From the Land of the Hummingbird” celebrates the 50th anniversary of Peter Minshall’s 1974 Carnival. It opened on January 23, and will be on view through March 9, at Castle Killarney, located at 31 Maraval Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Here are excerpts from Wallace’s article. For full article and photos, visit the Trinidad Express.
From the legendary mas man who famously said, “Mas only happens with the permission of the people”; this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, which will run until March 9, is intended to reach as many people as possible.
Visitors have an opportunity to travel back in time and feast their eyes on images and archival videos of the Carnival presentation which stunned audiences, won prizes and hearts, impacted Carnival and the way mas was produced, and catapulted Minshall and his career into the spotlight.
The exhibition’s curator, Kathryn Chan, said the show is on par with other international contemporary art shows; in the days prior to its opening on January 23, the team at Baachacs Collective, along with the Minshall Mas Foundation, worked feverishly on finalising details for the production of the show. Lighting, graphic designs and furniture that was specifically designed for the exhibition were installed.
The process of doing the exhibition has been a whole piece of work in itself, in terms of interacting with people, sourcing stories and building the show, with a lot of Trinidadian talent who have demonstrated wonderful ways of approaching work and resolving little creative problems that have come up. It’s been really fun, we’ve been carried—somehow—by the universe that’s just dropping things on our lap,” said Chan, who has been working as assistant designer to Minshall since 1987.
The visual artist had been contemplating staging an exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “From the Land of the Hummingbird” for quite some time. At the core of the exhibition is a presentation of Minshall’s drawings—65 in total. Chan found it fascinating that Minshall studied the human body and the nature of the hummingbird and did the drawings, which were then translated into works of art.
To truly understand the significance of “From the Land of the Hummingbird”, one needs to have context; on display at the exhibition are artefacts, articles, information about Minshall, about mas and about Sherry-Ann Guy, who played the mas.
The exhibition communicates the backstory of “From the Land of the Hummingbird” said co-curator Austin Fido. It’s essentially a story of a family: Minshall’s mother asked him to create a costume for his 13-year-old sister (Guy). Minshall, who was in his early 30s at the time, went all out, working with his team to create something that had never been seen on the big stage up until that moment. Guy was ecstatic with the final result and excelled in the presentation, which was received with rapturous applause and enjoyed enormous success. She was crowned Junior Carnival Queen and named Female Individual of the Year. [. . .]
“Having the exhibition at Castle Killarney is an homage to Queen’s Park Savannah, the heart of our city, 50 years later,” said Chan.
“From the Land of the Hummingbird” spread joy when it took to the stage in 1974 and through the process of the exhibition, it’s spreading joy again, she said. There is a tremendous interest in the exhibition, which is already being described as “a worthwhile contribution to the cultural landscape”. [. . .]
[Many thanks to Veerle Poupeye (Critical.Caribbean.Art) for bringing this item to our attention.] Kimberly Wallace writes about the exhibition “From the Land of the Hummingbird.” Curated by Kathryn Chan, “From the Land of the Hummingbird” celebrates the 50th anniversary of Peter Minshall’s 1974 Carnival. It opened on January 23, and will be on view through
