Soft Box Gallery director and curator Nisha Hosein took the work of seven local artists to an art fair in Dubai earlier in May, exposing them to a new market and opening possibilities for all artists of TT.

World Art Dubai was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 1-5 and Hosein was excited as a number of galleries and collectors expressed interest in working with Soft Box and its artists, and buying pieces.

[caption id="attachment_1084285" align="alignnone" width="795"] Into the Woods III, created with egg tempera and pigment on canvas, by Andrea C Hoffer. Photo courtesy Soft Box Gallery. -[/caption]

Hosein told Sunday Newsday she experienced a Dubai that was rich in culture with regards to religion, language, food, art and more, yet, the people were very open-minded to other cultures.

She said that culture-rich society meant people could get everything they needed there and, as a result, many did not feel the need to experience the West and was establishing itself as an independent cultural hub for tourism, industry, art and other fields.

“As developed as they are, they are still maintaining their grounding. Respect for their culture was still in the foreground.”

The fair hosted over 10,000 pieces of artwork from over 400 galleries and solo artists in over 60 countries but, most were from Eastern and Asian countries. There were a few from the Americas, including TT, which was the only Caribbean country represented.

[caption id="attachment_1084277" align="alignnone" width="768"] The Soft Box Gallery booth was just one of many at World Art Dubai. Photo courtesy Soft Box Gallery. -[/caption]

There she displayed 26 pieces of art of different styles and media that she felt represented the Caribbean. They included the work of:

Kvita Mongroo, a Trinidadian/Canadian artist whose work primarily focussed on life in the West Indies using collage. Shalini Seereeram, whose usual media were painting, sculpture, illustrations and jewellery, and who uses intricate patterns and dramatic colour contrasts. Her selections at the fair were of wood and mixed media. Tracey Johnson displayed oil on canvas and her work could be described as photo realism with a fusion of surrealism sand abstraction. Christine Norton, a humanist photographer, dealt in mixed media pieces using digital fine art rooted in documentary, history and urban fantasy. German-born Andrea C Hoffer’s work was indigenous to TT and its scenery, and her selections were egg tempera and pigment on canvas. Visual artist and filmmaker Kenderson Noray showed oils on canvas. His paintings were a combination of different styles and techniques such as cubism, abstract expressionism, impressionism and more. And Peter Sheppard, a self-taught artist who was also at the Dubai fair, is known for his attention to detail. His works were inspired by TT’s culture and landscape and his medium was acrylic on canvas.

[caption id="attachment_1084282" align="aligncenter" width="433"] North Coast Road by artist Kenderson Noray. Photo courtesy Soft Box Gallery. -[/

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