Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 23/Nov 04:22

Decades of Hinkson’s sketches in first-of-a-kind exhibit at Nalis

AN UNPRECEDENTED exhibition of prominent local artist Jackie Hinkson’s creative journals remains open to the public at the rotunda of the National Library (Nalis) in Port of Spain – and it may be the most personal showcase of his six-decade career to date. Until November 22, more than 210 sketchpads, containing approximately 9,000 drawings, are on display for public viewing. About 60 of these items on display are preserved by The University of the West Indies, and are displayed behind glass cases. Hinkson, 83, says it is the first time he has ever shown this body of work publicly. [caption id="attachment_1191953" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A watercolour painting by Jackie Hinkson was among the pieces on show at the Nalis exhibiton on November 21. [/caption] “This is the first one…it’s a fairly big body of work,” he told Newsday, explaining that although he has drawn continuously for decades, most of these sketches were never intended for exhibition – they are his raw, in-the-moment thoughts on paper. The collection spans the mid-to-late 1980s. Before that, he explains, he was always sketching, but bulky materials made it difficult. “If I went somewhere like in a panyard or a doctor’s office, I couldn’t walk with my materials. But if I had a little book in my hand and a pen in my pocket, I could do something.” Over time, those small books multiplied – eventually forming the hundreds now on display. Most aren’t polished. Some are quick, fragmentary notes, he explained. “In a way, because they're sketches, the question of whether they're finished or unfinished doesn't arise. “It could be a little five-second note. Some are more ‘finished’ than others, of course, and sometimes I start out there, and when I go home, I strengthen it. The exhibition is interactive: visitors may wear gloves and turn the pages, physically engaging with the artist’s creative process. “There’s a greater immediacy…you get to feel how the artist’s hand might have been moving,” he said. [caption id="attachment_1191954" align="alignnone" width="1024"] One of the many sketches of artist Jackie Hinkson on display at Nalis on November 21.[/caption] Part of the collection is on loan from UWI, and Hinkson is careful about its preservation. “We have put them in glass cases because they belong to UWI…I don’t want any problem, anything getting damaged or removed.” The fragile ink and ballpoint works, vulnerable to damage, are conserved by the university under controlled conditions. He shared why now is the time to exhibit his vast sketch portfolio. “One of the reasons is I’m getting older. I don’t know how long I will have this collection of books in my hand, so it’s a good time.” He said he had been discussing an exhibition with Nalis for a while and immediately grasped the opportunity to use the rotunda. He liked the space, the potential “captive audience,” and the opportunity to open a private inner world to public view. [caption id="attachment_1191955" align="alignnone" width="1024"] One of Jackie Hinkson sketches showing Tunapuna steelband Exodus on display at Nalis.[/caption] When asked if he saw his younger self in these pages, he offered a reflective answer: “It’s an ongoing process, evolving, you’re learning…you change your emphases from time to time…not as meaningful comparisons…I just look at it as a stage in my ongoing process.” Over the years, he may have grown more skilled and confident, yet he resists saying his work has simply “improved.” “I hesitate to use the word improve…it’s an evolving process…sometimes your vision will take a shift away from one area to another.” His themes have indeed shifted. Early in his career, after studying abroad, he was preoccupied with capturing light, landscape, and the simple character of Trinidad’s architecture – particularly distinctive buildings he feared were disappearing. “I was determined to capture our disappearing vernacular architecture,” he recalled. But over time, he began observing social change, politics, and human behaviour. “I started producing larger works…where the human figure was more central, and where there were obvious references to social changes in society.” Hinkson has long been recognised for his body of work. Born in Port of Spain in 1942, he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, and later at the University of Alberta, where he earned a BFA and a Diploma of Education. After returning home in 1970, he taught at Queen’s Royal College before becoming a full-time artist. His practice spans watercolours, oils, acrylics, wood sculptures, murals, and even digital iPad drawings. In 2010, more than 100 of his sketchpads were inscribed into UNESCO’s Local Memory of the World Register. He also holds the Chaconia Medal (Gold) for his services to art. Over the years, he has exhibited locally, regionally and internationally, and his work has appeared in retrospectives. Despite his accolades, Hinkson remains focused on preservation. He sees his sketchbooks as both art and history. Because they are donated to UWI, and if they are donated elsewhere, he insists that they not be hidden away. “These are works of art. And therefore, they need to be displayed to the public. I need to focus my attention to ensure that even if these books are donated to any institution, there's some guarantee that every two or three years, there's a public display of them. He also spoke frankly about shortcomings in local cultural infrastructure. “In the history of man, in Western society, there has never been enough done, as far as I'm concerned. In some countries like ours, that are not old, the situation is even worse, exacerbated,” he said. He criticises how the media treats art: “There is publicity, but incisive, educational, informative publicity…I don’t see it.” He recalled a time when critics like Derek Walcott wrote about art with depth and clarity; today, he argues, that discourse is less consistent and “scattered.” Asked what he hopes younger artists might take away from his sketchpads, he said he can only hope that they see what is good and learn. But ultimately, he leaves interpretation to them: “That decision is not really mine. It’s for them to decide.” Even in this digital era, Hinkson defends the sketchpad’s relevance. He admittedly draws on his iPad – but he says the fundamental challenges don’t change. Composition, line, colour, structure: these remain at the heart of his practice, whatever the medium, he said. “Same problem for me. Digital or manual, traditional, whatever.” When asked whether he had a favourite or two among the collection, Hinkson replied, “I tend to look at my work as bodies of work, expressions of a vision that I have, not individual detailed pieces.” He did not point to one because, for him, the value lies in the totality. Hinkson closed the interview with a reflection on the principle that has guided his life’s work. “It’s something I’ve put focus on in my entire 65-plus-year career…it’s that this is about work and the discipline of work. That is the only way for me to live, and I am aware that in this business of art, one is committed to a lifetime of dedication, and one never attains perfection.”   The post Decades of Hinkson’s sketches in first-of-a-kind exhibit at Nalis appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.