Irma artwork by Tes Verheij (left) and Ras Mosera.
PHILIPSBURG–Artists Tes Verheij and Ras Mosera have joined forces in a special Hurricane Irma art exhibition which will be showcased in two Front Street locations on St. Martin/St. Maarten Day, Sunday, November 11, starting at 7:00pm.
The two local artists will be showing their works at two locations near Emmaplein – Art Craft Cafe Gallery and Axum Art Café – under the title “Irma, Tes and Mosera.”
The artworks to be displayed were born from the artists’ shock and awe experienced during Hurricane Irma which struck St. Maarten in September 2017.
“Our Lilliputian position cannot grasp the magnitude of such fury. When such power is unleashed, some of us, after the fear subsides and we make an assessment of the aftermath, some of us are inspired, bewildered and shell-shocked. Children in particular seem to express their fear and grief through visual art expressions. Some see a dark monster looming, pillaging mercilessly; others see the aftermath as a moment of defiance,” the two artists say.
The Irma experience was powerfully interactive, with every family or individual describing endless tales of fear, bravery, survival and loss. Some have tried to capture this “un-capturing” phenomenon, but every effort is still in a nutshell.
With the “Irma, Tes and Mosera” exhibit Verheij’s and Mosera’s nutshell interpretation is just a small light in this huge experience, they say.
Verheij’s style is free and almost reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s, with peace and love trying to heal Mother Earth from the scourge of humanity’s overactivity, which is the result of powerful hurricanes like the ones St. Maarten experienced. She uses all media in one style, such as resins, stained glass and more.
Mosera is fascinated by Irma’s sheer unbridled power, which is beyond imagination. The hurricane’s licence to kill, destroy and maim with no accountability to country or state is fathomless. “The awe is in wanting to pay homage, almost romanticising with the before-and-after effects of human interactions,” he said.
Mosera paints with a free contemporary approach, in this series mainly in acrylic, collages, gold leaf on canvas and subtle humour.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/82346-duo-irma-art-exhibit-on-st-maarten-day
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