Belizean contemporary art has certainly not caught on locally, but thanks to influence peddling in foreign lands by some hard working art promoters, the art world illuminati thinks that Belize is a hub of creative art. However inaccurate, that image was powerfully reinforced last week in Merida where Belize's Cultural Ambassador, Joan Duran, who hails from Benque Viejo via Spain, put together Landings 2, a grouping of young contemporary artists from Latin America and the Caribbean. Our camera was there for take-off.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
The man in charge of landing the entire show, the pilot, so to speak, who had to navigate the courses for 19 of the most daring contemporary artists from Latin America and the Caribbean is Joan Duran. He is the project coordinator, the man in charge, the goalie as he is called, and the curator. But during the weeks that it took to set up the show, he never visited the space even once. In fact, on this the opening night is the first time he saw any of it.

Joan Duran,
"This I the first time I set foot in this space. The first time was an hour ago. Everything was monitored from a distance. The whole trick of this exhibition is these guys set up the show themselves. You have been videotaping me from the very entrance and I think I have a lot of emotions...it's a very unique situation."

A unique situation and a singular show. It features artists from Haiti, Aruba, Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico, and of course, Belize. With faraway ideas, and challenging curation, they overtook the Center for Visual Arts in Merida City. The center used to be an elementary school, but these classrooms were converted and Belizeans like Richard Holder used it for his Three Maria's, Santiago Cal had his Sighted Sparks, Yasser Musa featured his Condensed Milk Project, Sean Paul Taegar teamed up with Guatemalan Yasmin Haj in a post confidence building maneuver for 's Saga no. 1, Haitian Maxcence Dennis had a video installation, Cuba's Samuel and Alexis did a piece called Mute, that seemed to be every school teacher's fantasy, and speaking of fantasy, there's the Costa Rican's Lucia Madriz and her piece Siliconia Decorata. And that's just some of the daring pieces that the show serves up - in an exhibit that the organizer says is truly world class.

Joan Duran,
"This was the cutting of the umbilical cord because I think now all of them, with no exception, they are ready to handle the installations, the projects, by themselves. This is a first class, world-class exhibition. This exhibition could be at any ritzy top museum in the planet and it would be, the expression if you like, second to none."

One of the most compelling was Aruban Ryan Duber's compelling video on his own country sexual and global politics. It's a mix of Natalie Holloway imagery; Holloway is of course the American girl who went missing in Aruba. Here, her image is immortalized as a pop icon, a mascot on the Aruban flag, her face imprinted on chairs. And if that doesn't get you, who can resist Daddy Yankee's Gasolina set to a montage of Aruba's church crosses. Aduber esplained.

Ryan Duber,
"It's based on three in a triangle. The triangle is the missing white female syndrome, that Natalie Holloway case, and of course the Mamacita, and of course Aruba itself and they are all backed up in this sexy, sexy chocolate black box. Everybody is a star so, she is totally entitled of being this icon...everybody wants to be Natalie Holloway, everybody wants to have sex with three guys, everybody wants to have sex with the first boy you meet on vacation for example. So be watching for the movie: 'Aruba, Sex Island.'"

And on this meridian night, the sex was served and the evening capped by an avante garde electronic post-punk trio.

Landings will run at Merida's Center for Visual Arts for three months.