I just stole away from work to check out legendary T&T ‘mas designer Wayne Berkeley’s latest art exhibition, Masquerade, at Horizons Art Gallery and it was a welcome respite from the monotony of digitizing video clips.
The pieces, all ornately decorated masks mounted against raw silk and framed in shadow boxes, effectively showcase Berkeley’s unique style and classic technique. His world is one of fantasy – glitteringly beautiful, lovingly detailed and thematically imaginative. The icon of the mask speaks to a key aspect of Carnival – taking on another identity – but Berkeley’s themes are by no means limited to Carnival, or to the Trinidad experience.
While the pieces that most captivated me were the ones with local references (Carnival is Colour, for instance, a phrase that has oft been uttered by Trinbagonians, especially in criticism of Berkeley’s contemporary, Peter Minshall, who often went against the grain in this regard, eventually retaliating with his 1987 presentation, aptly called Carnival is Colour), there were also masks extolling the beauty of universally recognized icons – from autumn leaves to gossamer wings. Every mask is layered and sparkly, using the traditional vocabulary of ‘mas making – beads, feathers, sequins, etc., – but with some unexpected parlance thrown in via natural materials like sea sponges and shells that add texture, and unexpected shapes, such as 70s-inspired daisies and square beads that offer a more graphic dimension.
Noteworthy pieces include Panorama, which marries miniature copper-toned steel pans with a miniature bottle of Angostura red rum; Zandolie, which somehow (perhaps even unintentionally) captures the spirit of the late calypsonian Sylvester Anthony; The Gayelle, which refers to the location for staging cockfights, and which I think Gayelle – The Channel should spring for; and My Dear Louise, the Trini connotation of the phrase meaning, “Well, look at you!”
Berkeley has given us a lot to look at – he has always been one for pretty ‘mas and has no need to apologize for it, because his ideas are always well thought out and brilliantly executed. The exhibition runs until February 11, 2006.
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[...] Carnival-related blogging heated up in early February. Caribbean Free Photo posted images from the Phase II Pan Groove panyard, and photographer Stefan Falke paid a visit to the Kilimanjaro moko jumbie (stilt-walker) school. Francomenz wrote about an exhibition of Carnival masks by veteran masman Wayne Berkeley, but also about noise pollution from Carnival parties, a huge frustration for people living near to popular fete venues. She finally caught the Carnival “vibe” at a performance of the 3Canal show. Attillah Springer had previously blogged about sitting in on one of the rehearsals; Caribbean Free Photo posted a full set of images of the opening night performance at Flickr; and I was struck by the Canals’ attempt to link the message of their protest songs to the tradition of Carnival “resistance”. [...]
Wayne Berkeley is awesome. I can’t believe I missed the exhibition!
Is there a site you know of that shows some more of his work?