The board of the Art Society of T&T says the vandalisation of artwork on the perimeter wall of the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain shows the lack of caring about art in public spaces. On Monday, it was discovered that 12 of the 14 paintings on the Tragarete Road wall of the Oval had been slashed.
A statement from the society said, "We participated in the initiation of the project in 2008 and many of our senior artist members were involved. "We took great pride in the fact that outside of periodic damage the project in its first incarnation was both appreciated and protected by the public."
The statement added that it was with a deep sense of regret that the board read of the vandalisation of the reproduction installations on the Oval wall via the media. In 2008, the Queen's Park Oval turned its exterior walls into a "People's Canvas" to showcase reproductions of the work of some of the country's artists.
The society said, "This event and the destruction it wreaked hurts us deeply, not merely because the work of some of our members was destroyed, although this profoundly saddens us, but more importantly because of the lack of caring about art in public spaces for the enjoyment of all, that this wanton act or series of acts represents. "This is really a very sad day for all artists and we feel the pain of the contributors, the sponsors and the Oval management."