Photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
LEFT: Ambassador Madge Barrett peruses one of Ambassador Portocarero's pieces.
CENTRE: Joaquin Portocarero (right), one of the organisers of the Kingston On The Edge Urban Festival, coaxed dad, Herman Portocarero, Belgian ambassador to Jamaica, to show off his own art at an exhibition at Oakton Park.
RIGHT: Cindy Breakspeare-Bent (left) and Lois Lake-Sherwood, two of the island's more fashionable women, show us their glam once again at the exhibition.

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Who knew? That's the question a few persons were left asking after they viewed some of the artwork presented by Belgian Ambassador, Herman Portocarero. The ambassador hosted his first exhibition at the Jamaica Guild of Artists headquarters in Oakton Park.

Ambassador Portocarero said he has been drawing and painting for years but never intended for his work to be exhibited; it was his own private universe.

But after much coaxing, he linked with the guild for the exhibit and wouldn't you guess, the dates coincided with the Kingston On The Edge Urban Art Festival, which is a week of showcasing art around the corporate area. To make things even more connected, the ambassador's son Joaquin is one of the festival's organisers.

Ambassador Portocarero, who is self-taught (intuitive), said he started drawing (only with ink) regularly during the 1980s when he was in New York. It was mostly line drawings at first, but then he started to experiment with colours and from small pieces, his works got bolder and bigger. He describes his work as, "real images from possible lives," and isn't shy about exploring the more risqué topic of sexuality. By the way, he is also quite the writer. What next? Book launches? Hmm.

Guests out for this art affair included French Ambassador Francis Hurtut; Chilean Ambassador Alfredo Garcia and wife Luz Santamaria; Brazilian Ambassador Alexandre Gueriros; Ainsley and Marjorie Henriques; Jackie Hussey; Norma Harrack and Sybil N'Toutoume.