Guyana to host Suriname art expo

Guyana will this week be host to a group of Surinamese artists from the Federation of Visual Artists Suriname (FVAS), who will be showcasing their work between April 19 and 21 at the Umana Yana, Main Street, Georgetown.

The three-day event is a collaborative effort between the Governments of Suriname and Guyana and the Caricom Secretariat.

The exhibition, titled ‘Suriname art expo 2017?, is part one of an exchange programme between Suriname and Guyana in the field of Visual Art. The second part of the exchange will be a return visit of Guyanese artists to Suriname.

Works by artists Anand Binda, Robbert Enfield, Glenn Fung Loy, Soeki Irodikromo, Sri Irodikromo, Dakaya Lenz, and Dhiradj Ramsamoedj, among others, will be showcased at the event.

The Federation of Visual Artists in Suriname and the Suriname Art Expo 2017 are supported by the Department of Culture of the Education Ministry, Science and Culture, the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Suriname and the Caricom Secretariat.

The Caricom Secretariat acted as a liaison between the Governments of Suriname and Guyana, and provided technical advice and promotion for the event.

Speaking to the reason behind the Secretariat’s involvement, Deputy Programme Manager Culture, Riane De Haas, pointed to an excerpt from a Caricom paper which stated that the arts exchange programme fits within the framework of the Community’s Strategic Plan 2015-2019: ‘Repositioning Caricom’. Culture is seen as a pillar for building economic and social resilience, as well as strengthening Caricom identity and spirit of the Community. Culture is a unifying force in regionalism and is important to the success of the Caricom Single Market and Economy. Culture promotes social cohesion and inclusiveness, and contributes to wealth creation and the reduction of poverty”, De Haas read.

The Federation of Visual Artists in Suriname is an art organisation comprising of visual artists and art promoters. Founded in 1998, the FVAS today networks on both local and international levels. The FVAS has initiated, organised and participated in many art exhibitions, art events and festivals, educational projects on art and environment, and other community art projects.

For the past five years, the focus of the FVAS has mainly been on national community art projects and international exchange programmes. Because of the interest in international exchange, the FVAS initiated an exchange programme with neighbouring country Guyana.