Pen Cayetano’s 9th exhibition to premiere at Mexican Institute
He is known for his creative knack of turning a blank canvas into a work of art and today we caught up with him at the Mexican Institute of Culture. The fifty-four year old Belizean art extraordinaire, Pen Cayetano, is here from Germany where he resides, for his ninth exhibition, entitled Belize Bowl Race. Cayetano is a master at depicting the traditional Garifuna culture but he is also creating pieces that show the other cultures in Belizean society. According to Cayetano, this exhibition is a collection of culture and history and it is just in time for this year’s Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations.
Pen Cayetano, Belizean Artist
“This exhibition is entitled Belize Bowl Race and its talking about time when we use to have the bowl race in Belize City as well as life in Belize going around and around with a little bit of forward steps but most of the times it’s going around. So it’s talking about more or less when we used to have the bowl race and the way how people live in Belize today.”
Duane Moody
“What is the bowl race?”
Pen Cayetano
“The bowl race use to be an event where the bowl use to be made from the mahogany roots and that used to be taking place in Belize in the 1970’s in Belize City particularly. And that is a race that is in the river, it’s a bowl—you know what’s a bowl—and it would be taking place in the Belize old river and it’s gonna be an event usually in the Christmas season.”
Duane Moody
“So basically, you float along the rivers in the bowl?”
Pen Cayetano
“Usually, you use a paddle or something like that but you know a bowl usually goes round and round and to reach a point from where you started is going to be lot of work. So the bowl was a very interesting race. I think by now it’s abolished but it was the time of the mahogany days.”
Marcelino Miranda, Head of Mexican Embassy Press Section
“The Institute of Mexico in Belize has been involved in promoting culture and it’s culture from Mexico and from Belize. The aim is to have a cultural exchange between Mexico and Belize and to create a space for Mexican and Belizean artists.”
Duane Moody
“How was Mr. Cayetano chosen to have this exhibit here at the institute?”
Marcelino Miranda
“It’s two ways. In one way the Institute of Mexico wanted to provide a space for Belizean artist and the other way is that in Mexico, we are interested in Belizean artist and Garifuna artists as well. So this is a great opportunity for Mexico and Belize to enjoy the creations and the art for Mr. Cayetano.”
Pen Cayetano, Belizean Artist
“Every year I come to Belize and I do my exhibition in Belize City and countrywide and I usually include my drummers and my dancers because I think it is a very important part of my culture as well as my art. Music and my art, they work together. So usually I include the drummers too. I’m just trying to portray the history and the people of Belize. In all my exhibitions I’m taking about one subject, the Belize people from all different cultures.”
The exhibit will be opened to the public on Thursday night at six-thirty p.m. at the Mexican Institute on Newtown Barracks in Belize City.
