The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer
jgibson@tribunemedia.net

ICONIC entertainers were honoured through unconventional portraits during the Catch Ya Sef exhibition. The show featured work by Bahamian actor and artist Matthew Wildgoose, whose intent was to serve laughter and educate attendees on those who have made marks that cannot be erased in the local entertainment world.

Catch Ya Sef was Matthew’s first solo exhibit. It was held at the Balamoral Club.
He decided a very long time ago that his first solo show would pay tribute to Bahamian entertainers. As a member of the local art community, Matthew knows first hand the struggles of becoming established and recognised.

“It was just something I always wanted to do because I know Bahamian artists, no matter what genre, they do not get the recognition and that is a complaint throughout the Bahamas. We tend to like what is foreign, we like the rap, we like the R&B, which is fine, but at least know where we started. And because we do not recognise, know or appreciate what we have, we will not know where we are going,” he said.
The portraitures featured the Bahamian icons in their truest form including, King Eric & His Knights, Paul Meers, Eloise Lewis, Ed Moxey and the Boys, KB, George Symonette, Jackson Burnside, Joseph Spence, Maureen Duvalier, Peanuts Taylor, Blind Blake, Tony McKay, Count Bernadino and Ronnie Butler.

“They were people who knew their gifts and practiced it no matter what. That is what a true artist is. They lived their lives practicing their gift,” Matthew told Tribune Arts.
Tony McKay was a Bahamian musicians who performed a mix genres including carnival, Junkanoo, calypso and ballad. Some of his hits include “Do Wah Nanny”,

“Brown Girl” and “Reincarnation”. The Obeah Man was captured with a full head of long locs, a guitar in hand and a straw hat. Likewise the first lady of Junkanoo, Maureen Duvalier was also painted in an exaggerated form with a mic in her hand performing.

“I am fascinated with faces, because there are no two alike. Everyone is different. My style is coupled with realism and caricatures. I like caricaturebecause it has alot to do with my personality. They are humorous. I like to laugh, I love to make people laugh so that is what I do on canvas. So I married the two. And I get these larger than life exaggerated portraits.”
One of the pieces on display was not a portraiture, but featured the hands of a musician beating a drum.

“I did not want to paint Peanut’s Taylor face because his success was through his hands. The other guys like Tony McKay, sang and played the guitar. You saw them. But Peanuts Taylor was really gifted with his hands and he travelled the world because of them. So the paintings are all about the gifts they possessed,” he said.

“Hands are also very challenging. One of my art teachers told me if you could do hands, you pretty much got it. But if the hands I paint do not look like hands then I probably need to stop art completely because it is not my calling,” he said.
Although information about the entertainers exist, who they are and the gifts they mastered is not common knowledge. Matthew said he too was unfamiliar with some of the entertainers before he began working on the show. It was only after conducting research he found out interesting details about them.

“This was a learning experience and I am still learning about some of these guys. I was always familiar with Ronnie Butler, I grew up listening to his music. I always liked his music and appreciated him as an artist. By appreciating his music, I began researching the music of those before his time. I found out that Joseph Spence even rapped. I have a CD with him rapping,” Matthew said. “We just need to be educated on who we are. That is the only way we would know where we are going. This is the only way we are going to have an appreciation for who we are and what we have. I think we need to hold on it and at least know it.”
The show also served the purpose of reminding people where they come from and who they are which was the reason he titled it “Catch Ya Sef.

“When I was growing up, to remind me what mummy taught, what daddy taught, or what grammy taught, before you get beating they would say you better catch ya sef. So that was where I got that whole title. We need to be reminded of who we are and who we were,” he said.
Although Matthew enjoys painting, acting is his first love and he plans to study acting full-time at a performing arts university in New York.