THE Mutual Gallery, directed by a panel of judges, last week presented the public with its top picks of artists to watch. In an exhibit entitled 'Young Generation', the gallery showcased 12 artists, some recent graduates of the Edna Manley College for Visual and Performing arts, and other older artists with little prior showing experience.

Director and curator of the gallery Gilou Bauer addressed the large crowd of mostly young persons on the importance of supporting local artists, especially recent graduates or those new to the field, by simply coming out to exhibits and of course investing in art when possible.

'Genesis Series XVI', one of five in a series submitted by Tricia Gordon-Johnston. (Photos: Bryan Cummings)

Amidst the din of chatter, financial concerns stifling the young artistic community were the topic of the evening as Bauer and guest speaker Alan Morrison, CEO and director of Mint Investments Ltd, noted that launching one's career as a young artist anywhere, particularly in Jamaica, required much self-motivation and marketing.

"You need to socialise and to learn skills of how to market yourselves," Bauer said. "For every person who knows about your work there is one more person who may be willing to buy... ask older artists how to go about doing that, or even buy a book!"
Bauer said that continuing to create work in an unfavourable economic climate was difficult. However, she urged the artists to continue developing their skill.

Morrison, in the meanwhile, found it amusing that more persons were willing to spend inordinate sums on fancy vehicles rather than invest in art.
"... And I can tell you that in 10 years the car will probably not be functioning but the art may have doubled in value," he said.

Morrison stressed the importance of passing the baton as many of Jamaica's established artists had passed on and some were living past their prime.
"There is a void left in the art market to be filled [especially] as people die," he said.

Later, speaking on the juried selection process and addressing comments from some visitors on the empty space in the gallery, Bauer said while many young artists had submitted work for consideration, competition was extremely stiff. According to the curator, the judging panel sought to raise the bar on determining what work could be seen as truly representative of a new generation's issues and interpretation of art.

"We received over 100 entries from 26 artists," she explained.
"...And yes, the judges were strict in a sense but they were also looking for something 'else'... we were looking for work that showed a real connection between the artist and the work... a lot of what was submitted came across as too familiar, we were looking for real skill, not just talent," she continued.

Bauer also lamented the danger where artists succumb to pressure by making work only "to sell" or satisfy consumer trends, as opposed to creating work that challenges themselves as artists.
"We wanted to see talent and skill put to more profound use," she pointed out.

Each artist submitted four pieces of work to the panel of judges from which the final pieces to be shown were selected.
The work was interesting and varied, from highly textural mixed-media painting to photography, etching and collage. The five-piece series from Tricia Gordon-Johnston titled "Genesis Series XVI-XV" had a commanding presence on the gallery's left wall, as her exploration of the colour red involved layers and ridges delving into different tones of the hue, enveloping each canvas completely.

The semi-relief pieces from Maylynne Walton were interesting juxtapositions of wire, coil and wood used to create small sculpted collages that played with concepts of scale and design. Walton was one of the artists who while not formally trained, was encouraged to submit her work and is now embracing the concept of regularly showing.

Ebony Patterson's etchings of her intimate physical parts fused with objects and likenesses from nature, also stirred a favourable response from the crowd as the black and white series had an other worldly feel in the rendition of the subject matter.

The gallery was filled on opening night with an encouraging crowd of young people spending more time examining the work on display than socialising with each other, hinting at the strength of the younger art community.

Spanish Ambassador Jesus Silva was spotted for a moment, and although unrecognised by many in the crowd, struck a positive chord for renewed interest in fostering their careers as well as local arts in general. Diplomatic interests aside, Silva and his wife are passionate collectors and supporters of art, particularly modern work that is unfortunately often less appreciated in this country.

Silva has used his diplomatic skills for artistic good. Recently the National Gallery of Jamaica announced that it would be signing a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with the Government of Spain, to signify an ongoing relationship between the two and increase the exposure of Spanish and Jamaican artists, in particular from the younger set. The new partnership will also facilitate donation and exchanges of major publications and catalogues between cultural institutions and museums in Spain and Jamaica.

To date, Silva has already donated US$3000 worth of documentation on international art to the National Gallery to increase their research capabilities.

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