The pandemic has been difficult for people in the art scene in TT and the latest restrictions have forced galleries to close completely.
On May 3 in a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, the Prime Minister announced that, up to May 23, only essential businesses, such as supermarkets, pharmacies and hardwares, could remain open from 6am to 8 pm.
Lisa Leid, manager of Horizons Art Gallery, on Mucurapo Road, Port of Spain said since the beginning of the year, the gallery had virtual exhibitions.
“Normally we would have a large amount of people with eats and drinks but we couldn’t really have that with masks and social distancing. For an artist to put on a show it often represents a year or more of work leading up to one night. After all of that work you want to make it a mementos occasion so we decided to do virtual shows to still have that opening night feeling and to circumvent the prohibition against large gatherings.”
This was usually followed by small groups of people being allowed to enter the gallery to view the works. Visitors were limited to five people in the space, everyone had to sanitise and wear masks, and keep their distance from each other.
[caption id="attachment_888685" align="alignnone" width="685"] Neo pop artist Halcian Pierre with one of the pieces. - Photo courtesy Facebook[/caption]
Leid said the gallery got good viewership online from lovers of Caribbean art as well as Trinidadians abroad who appreciated seeing what local artists were up to, and it was “reasonably successful” financially.
Its New Faces exhibition started on April 27 and when the new restrictions were announced, the gallery had to close. However, people are invited to view the video of the opening online and visit the website to purchase pieces.
Horizons will not be having new exhibitions until the restrictions are lifted.
“A thing like a painting is something you have to see in person. You have to see the actual colours and the textures and the size. Scale and so on is very important in terms of how impressive a painting looks.”
Leid said some paintings show up better on camera than others but still, people need to feel the scale of something because that cannot be judged when all paintings fill a monitor, or phone or tablet screen. A person may find a piece looks pretty when viewed on a screen but has a different experience seeing it in person.
[caption id="attachment_888689" align="alignnone" width="672"] Artist Halcian Pierre doing a live video at Arnim's Art Galleria on Woodford Street, Port of Spain. PHOTO BY SARINA BLAND -[/caption]
She said during the pandemic there have been three types of buyers. The first are people who see the gallery on Mucurapo Road while on their way to their destination and decide to stop in to view the artwork.
“It’s soothing for the soul, it’s something that centres you, allows you to experience something pleasant and it de-stresses you. They look and sometimes buy and go back to their lives refreshed.”
The second type is people looking for a pi
