Art teachers showcase talents in exhibition |03 September 2015

Teachers from the School of Visual Arts have teamed up to showcase their talents in a colourful and highly impressive exhibition under the theme ‘True Colours’.

The exhibition is being staged at the National Arts Gallery and was officially opened last Friday by the principal secretary for culture Benjamine Rose.

After viewing the art works on display in the exhibition, the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange said that the School of Visual Arts needs to be congratulated for staging “an excellent exhibition that brings to life on canvas the diversity that makes Seychelles the tourism destination with a difference”. Minister St Ange said the different paintings showed the eye for detail by the island's artists.

"Yes, our artists have talent, but more importantly they have all been able to bring out sights and colours we too often take for granted. The exhibition is worth a visit by all who admire Seychellois art,” said Minister St Ange.

In her remarks, PS Rose said the department of culture in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture supports such initiative and will continue to work with the School of Visual Arts to help promote and showcase the skills of not just the students, but the teachers as well. 

“This venue was especially put in place to be used as a platform for all artists to exhibit and display their artwork and today we are happy to see that artists, through the National Arts Council, are making good use of this space,” said PS Rose. 

“As a ministry, we remain committed to continue exploring different avenues to ensure the continuity of this cultural and artistic revival that has started in Seychelles.  We urge artists to remain united and focused as it is only as a united group that will enable you to move forward and enjoy the harvest of your labour,” PS Rose added. 

“Standing before me today are some talented artists, teachers and friends who are still giving their best.  These wonderful people are my friends where I had the chance to be involved with them at the then College of the Arts in the late 1990s where I first started my career as a fashion instructor.  I’ve witnessed the passion and devotion that the staff of the School of Visual Arts invested in their works. They are not just good artists but good mentors for their students; they have the ability not just to teach a subject but to impact the love for arts to these students. Deep inside I am an artist too and I will never stop being an artist at heart because I believe art has great power.  No matter what form of art is being manifested, either a painting, a film, a sculpture or a play.  It allows expression of feelings and communications; it connects people through an invisible force and brings out the happiness in each one of us. Arts is a great leveller, it can draw outsiders into an artistic world and give them the chance to experience a more holistic world.  Art ties people together and is the best medium of sincere expressions. If we look around us, ‘True Colours’, the title of this exhibition, speaks for itself.  These wonderful works we are seeing today tell a story, it may not be a conscious story, it may be an imaginary story, it may be a wonderful manifestation of Love but there will be something in each artwork which reveals to us a glimpse of information about the artist,” concluded PS Rose.

The director of the School of Visual Arts Christine Chetty stated that such exhibition creates a platform for personal viewpoints of our artists and lecturers.

“Exhibition such as this creates a platform for personal viewpoints of our artists and lecturers who are respected practitioners and gives them an additional outlet for their creativity. Each art work on display is a testament of their labour of love and passion for the arts. Their accomplishment and spirit of perseverance will surely inspire students under their charge to strive hard to realise their potential.”

She also noted that most artists whose works feature in the exhibition have either studied at local or international institutions or universities.

“Most of the artists displaying their works have either studied at local or international institutions or universities, travelled widely to take part in different art exhibitions or commissioned work and are engaged with the world. The works on exhibit are true testimony of our diverse population which reflects cosmopolitan references in the dialogue presented by the artists,” she added.

The accompanying photographs show guests viewing the works on display soon after the opening of the exhibition.