Augmented art exhibition “Black Canvases” offers new way to view art

– opens today at Georgetown Club

In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of her mother’s passing, artist Roberta Nicolls held her first-ever art exhibition last May. “The paintings for that [exhibition] were my form of healing,” Nicolls said. “I now continue honouring her memory by working on my healing in a healthy manner through my paintings.”

The forty-eight-year-old Business Development Manager at GISAD Guyana Inc described this 2022 exhibition as the defining moment in her creative career. “My pieces are inspired by my need to use my God-given talent to be creative and use this as a tool to heal past my pain. The fact that it is art makes it relevant,” Nicolls said.
It was that first event that drew Ackeem Thomas towards working with Nicolls and adding a virtual element to her pieces. “Her pieces were unique and personal and I was captivated by her originality and ability to vividly paint her emotions,” Thomas said. “Over time I began to envision how much better it could be if we added a modern spin with technology.”

That idea culminated in Nicolls’s second exhibition and Thomas’s first collaboration with the artist: an augmented art exhibition. This event, Black Canvases, themed “Inspired Creativity” is set to open today at Georgetown Club, offering attendees a unique experience to view art – a first of its kind for Guyana.

“The augmented element was added in an attempt to add another layer to the last exhibition and was introduced to me as an option by Ackeem,” Nicolls said.

For Thomas, technology is an intrinsic part of his storytelling process. With a background in art, the twenty-eight-year-old got into photography as a teenager, eventually working his way up to graphic design and digital art. Now, he is also the Chief Executive Officer of Virtual Estate 360, which works to promote businesses through virtual tours.
Thomas explained that he is always exploring new ideas and when Nicolls informed him of a second exhibition, he started brainstorming and researching Augmented Reality as it aligns closely with what he does within his business.
“It was the perfect opportunity to try it out. I spent weeks working on it before I was able to get the first piece augmented,” Thomas said. “Augmented reality adds new dimensions of shape and motion to existing art or locations. Viewers will be able to use a mobile app to experience the real art, some including moving parts, sound or other changes in a 3D format, ultimately bringing it to life.”
With a total of 28 pieces to be on display at the exhibition, the augmented reality element has undoubtedly been a time-consuming addition to the paintings. “The major challenge is the amount of time it takes to augment each piece of art. Some pieces have to be broken down and recreated digitally to be fully augmented,” Thomas said.
But Thomas and Nicolls are excited to showcase this experience to Guyanese, with the BPI Guyana Inc-sponsored event opening today at 15:00h at Georgetown Club, Camp Street, Georgetown. Admission is $1000 and attendees are also encouraged to wear white.
“There will be a few door prizes by vendors sharing their own products,” Nicolls said. “Have a wonderful evening with amazing people in a venue that evokes a tranquil state of mind.”