Activity: Art Exhibition
Host: Moray House Trust
Date: Thursday 13 June 2013

A one-man exhibition on  Post-Hispanic, Pre-Colombian & Vedic Cosmology
by Desmond Alli
Dedicated to the Memory of Walter Rodney

Desmond Alli’s one-man exhibition, dedicated to Walter Rodney, opened on June 13th, the date that Walter Rodney’s assassination and his life’s work are commemorated. Desmond Alli was inspired by Walter Rodney and paid tribute to his spirit of integration, his understanding of ethnic diversity, the racial harmony required for the politics of working class unity and the overarching spirit of resistance for the pursuit of these necessities. These themes also underpin Alli’s “Art in Resistance” series.

Alli’s art is unique in Guyana because it highlights our continental geo-political status, heritage and history. The artist deals with topics such the plight of the Indigenous Peoples under the imperialism of the colonizing forces as well as the mix of new /old cultures and ancient Mayan & Vedic philosophies. His expeditions to and interactions with South American societies gave him firsthand  exposure to and understanding of their history and culture.

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Artist’s  Biography

Desmond Alli is a self-taught Guyanese artist who has travelled extensively in Latin America and has exhibited his work in Manaus, Brazil, Plaza de Amazonas, Quito, Ecuador and Cali, Columbia. He began sculpting in 1983 in what he terms a “Meso-American style”. In 1995 he made a “monument to national unity” as the centre-piece for the regional integration monuments on the lawns of Castellani House – the national gallery.  A graduate of political science, ethnography and Vedanta, Alli founded the Guyana United Artists (GUA) in 1997. Desmond Alli was the recipient of the Silver Medal & Award (2nd Place for Sculpture) in the 2012 Guyana Visual Arts Competition & Exhibition. “Under the 6th Sun” marks a milestone for Desmond Alli – 35 years as a practicing artist.

The Concept of the Exhibition “Under the 6th Sun”

Under the 6th Sun is a period of radical social and hemispheric change.  The astronomical inscriptions of the 6th Sun are founded on the cosmology of the Pre-Columbian and ancient Vedic seekers. The exhibition visualizes a brief historical account of our region before Columbus’s arrival and depicts the Pre-Columbian African presence; the colourful cities of Tenochititlan, Cuzco etc.; the conquest and destruction of the most advanced Indigenous civilizations of the Aztecs and Incas;  the introduction of the North Atlantic Slave Trade and the devastation of the African continent, the struggle for the Abolition of Slavery; the struggle for national Independence and the humanization of the Guyanese landscape.

The exhibition piece representing Guyana’s post-Independence period titled “The Great Betrayal” is conceptualized as a Trojan Horse – an object in Greek mythology of secrecy, treachery and deception. These are the very characteristic tendencies that emerged following the split in the nationalist movement in 1957. All the works done on the theme of the Guyanese history are a result of my earlier association with the late Dr Walter  Rodney and are dedicated to his memory. Walter Rodney, during his short lifetime, made an indelible contribution to the promotion of racial harmony and the struggle for national unity within Guyana.

 

Press Clippings

Title: Walter Rodney was a freedom fighter [Letter to the Editor]
Source: Stabroek News
Date: June 13, 2013

Dear Editor,

Most of the letters to the editor concerning the late Guyanese historian, Dr Walter Rodney, are centered on who was responsible for his assassination. As an artist I am not going causation hunting, rather I want to focus on Walter Rodney’s contribution as a freedom fighter.To mark the 33rd anniversary since his assassination I have mounted an exhibition at the Moray House Trust from June 13 in remembrance of Walter Rodney’s contribution to the dynamics of the Guyanese working class struggle, and the upsurge in the national liberation movements in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. In Guyana the Walter Rodney annual commemoration activity is becoming more and more remote and the gathering keeps getting smaller.  It is unfortunate that many of our young people do not know of the contribution Walter Rodney made in the struggle for social justice and the unification of Guyanese of all classes, races and creeds. As a historian Rodney interpreted the class nature of Guyanese society in such a way that the ordinary Guyanese could easily understand it.  Walter Rodney has become a symbol of resistance all over the world. In Latin America he is immortalized alongside other revolutionaries such as Che Guevara, Fabrico Ojeda, Camillo Torres, Nelson Suarez, Benito Suarez and others.  Every time people cry out for bread and justice and defiantly stand up for what is right – Walter Rodney lives!

Yours faithfully,
Desmond Alli