Seemed like once upon a time not too long ago, there used to be a story
about some artist’s new exhibition on this newscast like every other week.
But like NGOs, USAID, housing factories and foreign funded workshops, the art
exhibitions have receded into the history of newscasts past, and they exist
now only as media artefacts. And that’s why Belizeans probably know more
about Michael Phelps’s gold medals than they do about the travelling art
exhibit called “Landings.”
And more than just paintings on a wall, Landings is a loose affiliation
of young contemporary artists from Latin America and the Caribbean who are organized
by Belizean curator and art impresario Joan Duran. In the past 5 years. They’ve
had 8 exhibits of contemporary, cutting edge art all over the world at some
of the finest gallery spaces imaginable. And for Landings 9, they came back
to Belize. But since there’s no fine gallery space here, Landings 9, was
what they call an exhibit of ideas, pretty words for a talk shop. It ended today
with a press conference, where there was more talk – and we joined in.
Yasser Musa, Artist
“What is Landings and I believe the best way I can do that is by presenting
Landings in the concept of numbers. Landings involves 9 exhibitions. It is a
project that has taken fives by the time it will be completed next year March. 
Landings involves over 50 artists from three regions; the Caribbean, Central
America, and the Yucatan Peninsula. It involves artists that come from over
fourteen countries. And finally, and my favourite statistic and number of Landings
is that over 150,000 visitors have attended our exhibitions over the past four
and a half years.”
And this massive project is – believe it or not – all driven from
Belize. The Captain of the Enterprise is Belize’s Cultural Ambassador,
Joan Duran – the transplanted Spaniard who’s called Belize home
for the last 40 years. And for him it is more than art it is a war:
Joan Duran, Cultural Ambassador
“We are not artists, we are warriors. Yes we are warriors of our ideas.
I think we artists slash warriors are very smart people because we have ideas
that somehow transcend into the society. So these ideas should not be put in
this kind of highway to the heaven of New York, Tokyo and London. These ideas
and these efforts should be put in a kind of a picado in the bush in a kind
of a dirt road that somehow one day will become a highway.”
And that highway is being paved by these young artists from Latin America and
the Caribbean. They have “landed” in Mexico, the Dominican Republic,
Costa Rica, Washington DC, Cuba, and Taiwan.
Joan Duran,
“Art is an important component of our societies here in Finland and 
in Burundi and it is important and we don’t treat it in Belize and in
the countries around us, they don’t treat art as something that is important,
that is vital for its own survival. So whose supposed to fight for us? Engineers,
the guys from public works, health workers? No, we are artists are those that
should supposed to be fighting and fighting it means to create.”
For Curator Duran, they are spreading art as a gospel
Joan Duran,
“At the end of the ends always art prevails and has a charm to shape
history and to inspire people.”
And if you’re wondering, where Belize fits into all this, flip through
the glossy catalogue and you’ll see a couple faces and scenes that look
familiar. Belizean artists have been a part of every Landings, but this is not
about a country, it is about a region, and that’s what these artists have
been sitting in this room discussing all this week.
Yasser Musa,
“This week was not about looking back, creating nostalgia, that’s
important, but this week was about how we have to move into another orbit, into
another realm of our art, contemporary art of our region.”
Landings 10 – which is the last in the series of exhibits –
will be held at the Meiac in Badajoz Spain. It opens in January 2009.
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