Multimedia artist Rubadiri Victor premiered his latest series, a collection of 77 paintings, under the theme ‘World Wide Web’ at the 101 Art Gallery in Port of Spain.
Speaking at the launch, he said the series, spanning from ‘The Secret Squadron of Blue Archangels’ to ‘King of the Wizards’, tells deeper, more meaningful stories surrounding history and culture.
“Most of them are pretty large paintings about the Caribbean contemporary archangels with preparative portfolios, so like you have the angel of abundance collecting the wealth to redistribute it equitably, a guardian angel of the refugees, that kind of stuff. There is a series called The Infinite J’ouvert about the journey of J’ouvert from Africa to the Caribbean and to the world told through this kind of magical series of figures.”
This is Mr. Victor’s 11th one-man exhibition. Giving words of encouragement to the next generation of artists, he spoke about the importance of new artists being dedicated to their craft. This, he noted, is a guaranteed recipe for success.
“Learn your craft, learn your craft, learn your craft. Root your craft in your landscape and in your life and in your particular vision. Don’t follow the crowd, follow your vision, follow the call that’s inside, the image that comes to your head, the sound that comes, that raw thing – follow that voice relentlessly.”
He noted that although these are unprecedented times for new and upcoming artists, especially in relation to technological advancements and economic downturns, he continued to encourage artists to find a way to profit from their talent, all while enjoying what they do.
“Find and really pursue your craft so that it can pay your way. Find a sweet spot between the work, the audience, the call to truth and the marketplace. There is a sweet spot where you are able to answer all those things.”
Rubadiri Victor’s ‘World Wide Web’ art exhibition is open to the public until Monday, July 21st.
Proceeds from the exhibition will go towards the Anansi Folklore Festival.