On Saturday January 20, 2018, a bold new step was made in the areas of art and Indian history and culture, with the opening of the Isaiah James Boodhoo Art Gallery. The art gallery was opened at the Indian Caribbean Museum of TT, located at Waterloo Road, Carapichaima.
Sat Maharaj, guest speaker and the president of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha which founded the ICM, noted that the art gallery, named after one of this country’s greatest artists, was made possible through a gift of close to $250,000 by the artist’s widow, Mrs Halima Boodhoo, who was present at the opening of the unique space.
Isaiah Boodhoo was born in 1932 in Sangre Grande and died in 2004 at the age of 72. He studied art in the UK and US and was one of the few Indo-Trinidadian artists of his time. His art grew and changed over the years and he is best known for his works ‘Arrival’ and ‘Caroni’, two series of paintings that looked at the history and situation of the Indo-Trinidadian people. He also spent his later years working on artworks related to Hindu symbolism.
In a brief speech, the SDMS head thanked Mrs Boodhoo for her generous contribution, noting: “Generations of visitors will be indebted to you for this gesture.” He reminded that the museum was not a Hindu institution but an Indian one and so it covers all Indian activities, regardless of religion, despite having been founded by the SDMS.
The museum is actually run by a board, the members of which come from diverse religious and other backgrounds but with the one shared goal of preserving Indian history and culture.
Artist Shastri Maharaj who was a friend of the late artist, gave a lively and informative speech about the artist, his work and the state of art in this country. He described Boodhoo as “an enigma” and “a wonderful, jovial character”.
“He was very comical and very funny, always in a shirt jack… You would not believe that he walked the road as an artist, no set of fancy clothes no set of jewellery. He looked like a pencil pusher because inside of him was where his genius lived, in its simplicity,” Maharaj noted.
Maharaj said it was wonderful to see in his mature years, outside of academia, how he blossomed and began to delve into his Indian roots and history.
“The curry and the roti and the dhal and the curry goat by Caura river started to manifest itself visually in his paintings,” Maharaj said to much laughter, noting that in the days Boodhoo was growing up there were little or no Indian artists and the field was dominated by Afro or non-Indian artists.
The artist went on to rue the fact that learning about art is something mostly alien to the people of this country and while there is appreciation for the performing arts, the fine arts like painting are not appreciate by many.
He thanked Sat Maharaj and the SDMS for opening the gallery and suggested that there should, in fact, be a wing at the National Museum named for Boodhoo. He urged that the managers and curators of the Boodhoo art gallery perform “in a vibrant way” when promoting the gallery and its works and that they undertake things like workshops to encourage greater participation in art by the people.
Also addressing the gathering at the opening were Mrs Halima Boodhoo who thanked everyone for the work done; Allan Seepersad of the Ministry of Education; Saisbhan Jokhan, curator of the museum; and Ricky Swamba, Boodhoo’s cousin.
Do remember to make a visit to the Indo Caribbean Museum in Waterloo to take in some of the works of the eminent artist.
Central Beat Magazine 