Trinidadian Portrait Artist Esther Griffith is part of the Wiki Unseen campaign aimed at amplifying Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour who are also historical figures but have been largely left out of history due to the historical systemic inequalities that have shaped global history.
Griffith is one of three artists selected from Africa, America and the Caribbean who are re-illustrating historical figures on Wikipedia, the world’s largest online free knowledge website.
From St James, Griffith attended the St James Government Secondary and is a graduate of the University of the West Indies Visual Arts programme. She is a recipient of the Emerging Leaders of the Americas scholarship granted by the Canadian government. Esther specialises in portraiture. Her art has been exhibited both in Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.
Griffith spoke with USA-based Trinidadian journalist Neki Mohan for this interview.
NM: When did you realise you were an artist and this was your calling?
EG: When I was little I would see my mum do quick sketches of people. However, I didn’t really think of being an artist at that point, as I actually loved sciences. But the love of art never left me and I became a digital artist when I grew up. Then around 2009, I felt like I wanted to understand the Fine Art approach. So that’s when I actually delved into becoming a full-time artist. Interestingly, even when doing sciences at school, my favourite parts involved the art aspect, for example drawing landscapes in Geography or looking at the colours of chemicals in the chem lab.
NM: What is that journey like pursuing art in Trinidad and Tobago?
EG: It’s been a fun experience for me on a personal level. As with everything else there have been ups and downs. Being an artist is not considered a mainstream career in T&T, so it’s important to be resilient if you’d like to work within the Arts.
NM: How were you selected for the Wiki Unseen Campaign? What put you on Wikimedia Foundation’s radar?
EG: Wikimedia Foundation selected me along with two other artists: Bukhtawar Malik, who is of Pakistani heritage and Enam Bosokah of Ghana. I believe that the reason for our being selected is because we are artists and people of colour so we bring a unique perspective to a project like Wiki Unseen that is centred around depicting people of colour whose images have been left out of Wikipedia biographies. In addition, we’re all portrait artists who have an interesting approach to depicting figures. We’re each able to bring figures to life in an exciting way.
NM: Who are your art inspirations?
EG: Well, it’s not so much who, but what. I really love nature, the geomorphology of the earth’s surface is a big source of inspiration, both colour and texture-wise. I enjoy looking at satellite images of the earth… which inspires my approach to mark-making. No matter the medium, I don’t depict figures in an overly realistic manner. I experiment to get interesting results that are non-conventional.
NM: What is your big dream?
EG: I’ve always loved to use my skills in a meaningful way, so once I’m doing that I’m happy. I enjoy the diversity among human beings and I’ve always tried to depict people of different races and backgrounds in my work. My big dream honestly is for us to be at peace with one another and to live in a world that is not divided.
NM: What inspires you about the people you are painting for Wiki Unseen?
EG: When doing research about Asquith Xavier and Mercedes Richards, I found that they were very real people who accomplished a lot, but who genuinely cared about others. Asquith wasn’t a revolutionary. The reason why he pushed to be able to get this new job as railway guard at the Euston Station in Britain (where there was a colour bar) was because he wanted to feed his family. I found that to be noteworthy.
Mercedes Richards was an intelligent woman… After all, she was an astrophysicist! But she was very kind as well. She worked with low-income youths to help them understand and love science. For me, it’s really about humanity… It’s about showing care and concern for others. That’s what stood out to me about these historical figures that I Illustrated.
NM: What advice would you give for other young Caribbean artists on pursuing their dreams?
EG: In the age of social media it’s very easy to see another artist’s work, like it and just copy it because it’s trending. But in doing that you short change your own abilities and your own thoughts. I recommend that up and coming artists should genuinely explore themes that really interest them as individuals and work through processes to bring that to life.
According to Wikimedia Foundation Brand Collaboration Lead, Tas Elias, Esther and the other artists were carefully selected for their skill and diverse backgrounds.
“When you look at Enam and Esther’s art, you don’t just notice the portraits they have created, but the care and level of detail that has gone into bringing them to life.”
Esther’s use of colour is joyful and irresistible, creating moments that remind us all that Black History is something to be celebrated, not just mourned,” said Elias.
Other artists are invited to participate in the campaign. All of the details are on the project website www.unseen.wikimedia.org.
