Bz. exhibit makes its mark on global art scene

What do you get when you add zero plus zero plus zero? According to art guru Yasser Musa, the biggest zero yet. That’s right, the Belizean art show known as “Zero” is nearing the end of its world tour. After being hosted in museums from Havana to Barcelona, this month the exhibit makes its final stop in the Dominican Republic. Here’s a taste of the Belizean blend.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting

For the next month, thousands of visitors to the Museo de Arte Moderno in Santo Domingo will have a brush with Belizean art, portrayed like never before.

Yasser Musa, Artist

“It is a topical kind of concept that you are starting from nothing, zero. And what they are seeing from all these younger guys, Gibson and David Anderson and all these artists, I think that there is only bigger things that can occur globally. Who knows, maybe in the United States and in England and European countries and Africa, we can expand these exhibitions and hopefully it will only get bigger.”

According to artist Yasser Musa, the exhibition has given viewers an idea of the latest influences to hit the Belizean art scene.

Yasser Musa

“I would call it the pulse of what is happening in visual art today 2002 in the country of Belize. Because of the thirteen artists represented, there is a variant of style, for example, Santiago Cal is a sculptor, Ivan Duran makes sound, Gilvano Swasey makes objects, Sean Gibson makes cartoons, Sean Taegar uses text, I use bones. So there is no artist that is doing the same thing. Michael Gordon is painting and Jeanie Shaw is photographer, so there is nothing that is the same among the artists. So in terms of diversity, yes, there is that diversity.”

Much of the success of the tour is attributed to curator Joan Duran.

Yasser Musa

“I think his work is the scaffolding that has held up the younger team because we as younger people, we’re not as organised and not as careful about details as somebody like him. So I think to mention his participation is very crucial.”

The exhibition runs until November third. Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.

The Zero world tour was launched in April 2000 in Merida, Mexico.