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| LOUIS MASAI |
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| LINDA ZINA |
His third visit to the island earlier this year saw him leaving an indelible mark on the walls of a few studios and street corners.
"I like to paint on the street because some people can't afford to buy art, and I feel like the placement of art outside means that everyone can enjoy the art world. We come fi nice up the land," Masai shared.
His love for reggae gives him hope that one day he will be able to improve the visual aspects of the genre.
"I hope that my artwork finds its way into the reggae industry. I want to work with record producers, performers, labels and inject something a bit fresher into the visual side of reggae in a way that hip hop does, I guess," he said. The two-member team of Linda Zina and Masai created several pieces inspired by 'African tribes and African beasts', adorned with African fabric patterns.
Connecting with the origins of Jamaica
"Our thesis was to create cultural reference to the origins of most Jamaicans via the images created. However, we didn't want to just recreate what other painters may have already done on the island and, therefore, we purposely chose imagery that wasn't always obvious to everyone. In this, we unearthed plentiful reasoning with the community," he shared.
These paintings can be found in places such as the Tuff Gong and Black Scorpio studios, Frenchman's Cove in St Elizabeth, Winifred Beach in Port Antonio, and at the HELP Jamaica Reading and Writing library in Kingston.
His love for reggae gives him hope that one day he will be able to improve the visual aspects of the genre.
"I hope that my artwork finds its way into the reggae industry. I want to work with record producers, performers, labels and inject something a bit fresher into the visual side of reggae in a way that hip hop does, I guess," he said. The two-member team of Linda Zina and Masai created several pieces inspired by 'African tribes and African beasts', adorned with African fabric patterns.
Connecting with the origins of Jamaica
"Our thesis was to create cultural reference to the origins of most Jamaicans via the images created. However, we didn't want to just recreate what other painters may have already done on the island and, therefore, we purposely chose imagery that wasn't always obvious to everyone. In this, we unearthed plentiful reasoning with the community," he shared.
These paintings can be found in places such as the Tuff Gong and Black Scorpio studios, Frenchman's Cove in St Elizabeth, Winifred Beach in Port Antonio, and at the HELP Jamaica Reading and Writing library in Kingston.
Another side project, 'The Herd of 50 Gazelles', can be seen in Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, St Mary, St Elizabeth, and Kingston.
That project was a Jamaica 50 effort by the two, where they posted 50 gazelle paintings across the island.
"I purposely brought 50 (gazelle paintings) to leave on the island, in reference to the 50-year celebration that Jamaica is to embark on in August," said Masai.
They hope to return to continue 'nicing up the walls', and have partnered with Trinity Sound, King Tubbys Hifi, and Delamaine Arts PR to form a bigger team.
"I have been to Jamaica three times now, and yes, we will be back again, with a bigger team of artists and a film crew. It would be nice for this to happen before the end of the year to complete a year of 50 with a huge event and visual workshop marathons through the schools. We are looking for sponsors as we speak," Masai said.
With a degree in fine art to his name, and Zina's degree in illustration from the Falmouth Cornwall in the United Kingdom, the two want to help establish this type of education in Jamaica.
"We want to create this type of education in Jamaica in a visiting residency format. Hopefully, if all goes to plan, we will build a visual arts foundation in Jamaica. All the painting on the island thus far, and all future projects we bring to Jamaica are all building towards this desire. We come fi nice up the walls," he said.
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