Buying a piece of art usually involves studying the artist’s name and style. But a Tobago-based animal welfare group is turning the traditional gallery experience on its head with a blind mystery experience. The ‘Venus Doggess of Love’ NGO has launched an exhibition where the artist’s identity is kept completely secret until after the purchase.
Faith Cheruiyot reports on how this creative suspense is aimed at sparking a much larger conversation.
It is far from your ordinary art exhibition. Dubbed “60 Surprises,” the latest fundraiser by the Tobago-based animal welfare NGO, Venus Doggess of Love, is an interactive, artistic mystery. The twist? The identities of the artists remain completely hidden until the piece is purchased. Founder Elspeth Duncan explains that keeping buyers in suspense was exactly the goal.
To keep the playing field level, all sixty original eight-by-eight paintings are priced equally. The signatures are hidden on the back of the canvas, meaning a buyer could walk away with a piece done by a child, a local celebrity, a member of the public, or an established artist.
But while the art on the walls is a mystery, the need on the ground is crystal clear. The exhibition as a means to raise funds for the care of these animals is something Miss Quentrall Thomas says we need to focus on more.
At the moment, four dogs are up for urgent adoption, two in Tobago and two in Trinidad. Organizers hope the excitement of the gallery will translate into real-world action for these animals.
Through innovation and creativity, the NGO hopes to inspire the public and spark a deeper national conversation about raising the standards of animal welfare.