I have translated the works of over 19 artists on war, migration, desolation and isolation, in particular with reference to works including or featuring pierrot, harlequin, clown or acrobat figures, precursor to our present day ShortKnee. ShortKnee can be traced back to the spoken word traditions of the West African Chantuelle, oral libraries whose recollections made bearable the suffering of slaves on the plantations of Grenada, fused with French Pierrot elements, and wrapped in six and a half yards of vulgar fabric that is breathtaking in sunlight masquerade. I have researched both the Egungun and Pierrot traditions as part of my ShortKnee study, and have formed the following opinion: Once a disguise and a way to compromise, the ShortKnee is today, in this artist’s opinion, the iconic instrument of the history of Grenada, and a subject worthy of vigorous visual artistic study.
I first saw La Igba rota by Cuban artist Santiago Olazábal in 2006. A fairly large canvas 5.5 feet by 6.5 feet with a simple palette, it made a powerful impact on me. I was mesmerized. I saw myself lying in sandy disenchantment, calabash in hand, wondering why my work was not nearly as profound. Santiago’s work uses an economy of resources, a less is more approach, as in the less you use, the more you feel.
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| Green Butterfly, after Santiago’s La Igba rota |
This image I call Green Butterfly is part of my Chantuelle Translations series, referencing Santiago’s La Igba rota to articulate my response to the socially sanctioned slow and painful death of the ShortKnee, our indigenous artform. It shows a ShortKnee who has seen better days, lying broken on a muddied red background, among elements of barbwire and chain-link fencing and detritus of plants. On his (or her) hand perches a green butterfly handcut from an aluminum beer can, with the barcode evident to the viewer. Green Butterfly is a mixed media work – tempera paint and oil pastel on posterboard that has been grounded with red latex paint, plus the aluminum butterfly.