…young artist awaits grand debut
By Ashraf Dabie
Even as society continues to view the creation of art as a leisure time activity rather than a possible career, aspiring artist Roberto Anthony Teekah is defying the odds as he awaits his grand debut to his professional journey.
Teekah, who is 19 years old, has been for some years now exercising the depths of his talent, by crafting artist pieces, using social media as one of his main platforms to showcase his work.
It all started during his academic pursuits at the Bishop’s High School as the institution provided the much-needed avenues, which paved the way for his development as a young artist.
This was as the then art student took up every opportunity thrown his way to gain exposure through designing pieces for school events and participating in local art competitions. Allowing his talent to speak for itself, the teenager eventually managed to secure gigs which led to his art work being on display at a more national level.
Speaking with Sunday Times Magazine, Teekah highlighted what initially spiked his interested in the field of arts. In doing so, he outlined his journey as an up and coming art expert, thus far.
“I don’t know exactly where my affinity for art comes from, but it is the thing that comes easiest to me. I have always been a reserved and introverted person, and art served as a vessel for me to express my opinions and channel my emotions. As a child, my teachers and classmates would always be impressed with my artwork, although they were simple drawings, they were the beginning of a permanent love for all things creative,” the 19-year-old relayed.
He then revisited the beginning of this journey and underlined what promoted his artistic pursuits.
Teekah explained, “My art truly blossomed when I started attending the Bishops’ High School in 2010. Bishops’ offered countless creative outlets, which I thrived off of, and an exceptional Visual Arts curriculum that exceeds many other schools.”
As such, he continued on saying, “I am thankful for both the practical skills and especially the theoretical knowledge that I gained there, which sadly many other art students do not get exposed to. Another driving force in my art journey was the harsh, but constructive criticism put forth by my art teacher and mentor, Brian Tankoon. They prevented me from settling for mediocrity and constantly pushed me to become better.”
With motivation stemming from his school environment, the student decided to pursue Art at the Caribbean Secondary Education Council (CSEC) Level and then later at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). Having gained a Grade II as his first attempt (CSEC), Teekah was not satisfied with his performance and decided to try again. It was with that passion for the arts and determination to succeed that he managed to secure a Distinction at Art& Design at CAPE. In fact, Teekah was the first student to take on this subject at the Bishops’ High School, and his fruitful ventured opened the doors for others to follow in his footsteps.
Adding to that, the young artist has already secured a long list of achievements in his field. This includes a prize-winning painting in the Guyana Coconut Festival (2016), having had one of his pieces on display at the Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition (2017) along with being a co-designer in a prize winning Mashramani float competition for Secondary Schools (2017).
Those are paired with having prize winning Rangoli designs at the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Rangoli Competition for two years in a row as well as creating Rangolis for a public exhibition at the National Art Gallery.
With that having been established, Teekah indicated what his sources of inspiration are. “My art is heavily inspired by the world we live in- things like nature, folklore & legends of various cultures, avant-garde fashion and most recently by powerful figures who challenge the ideals and norms of society, beauty and mainstream media. Andy Warhol once said that “Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it,” this resonates with me and provokes me to find aesthetic value in everything imaginable,” he related.
Moreover, the 19-year-old went on to say, “My art is the physical evocation of my subconscious. It is what brings my mental conversations to life. My art can show the true aura that lies within me, or the one that I want you to see, because after all, “I am an artist and I have the ability and the free will to choose the way the world will envision me”- Stefani Germanotta.”
Even with the numerous accomplishments under his belt, the young artist looks forward to a thriving career, doing what he enjoys, which is creating art, of various forms and medium.
With that in mind Teekah noted, “I plan on continuously creating unique artwork, working towards gaining more exposure and to constantly grow as an artist. I would love to have more work on display at exhibitions and to participate more in our local cultural events.”(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
