Trinidad / Special Interests / Art & Artisans

Trinidadian Art and its constituent elements are a constantly evolving means of cultural expression and reflective of the rich tapestry of life centred on the polyglot society of the capital Port of Spain. A diverse ethnicity has infused the creative arts with all manner of influence from Africa, Europe, India, China, the Middle East and South America, with scholarships and formal overseas training for local artists now adding to the mix.

Michel-Jean Cazabon, a French Creole nineteenth century watercolourist and oil painter, was the first to forge an international reputation but the visual arts have only truly gained a prominent profile here in the last sixty years. Carlisle Chang and his former schoolmate Boscoe Holder, both now sadly deceased, were trailblazers in the post independence years after 1962 alongside Ken Morris of the largely self taught artisans of the Backyard Art Group in Laventille, who specialised in beaten metals and paved the way for the great contemporary Carnival masquerade designers like Peter Minshall.

The modern art scene is vibrant and eclectic, readily accessible in a dozen or more private galleries and in a magnificent permanent exhibition at the National Museum and Art Gallery near the Savannah at the junction of Frederick and Keate street, featuring all the big players like Nina Squires, Dermot Lousion, Shastri Maraj and Leroy Clarke. Adrian Camps-Campins produces extraordinary colourful works depicting historical scenes and buildings, meticulously researched through his own architectural archives, and tracing a rich urban heritage largely lost to fire and neglect. Chris Cozier is another visionary artist and co-founder of the Alice Yard, a gathering ground for artists of all persuasions in the suburb of Woodbrook, which has also informed an influential online arts journal, Draconian Switch.  The Queens Park Oval perimeter walls also now host the “People’s Canvas”, huge reproductions of  budding and established artists in what is effectively the country’s largest outdoor gallery, a wonderful departure from the norm in true Trini style.

250 of Trinidad’s finest artists are represented on - The Art Society of Trinidad & Tobago - website which provides an excellent overview of the country’s talent and expertise in different genres.