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Seychelles Biennale of Contemporary Art 2022 - July 31 to August 28 |03 August 2022

Seychelles Biennale of Contemporary Art 2022 - July 31 to August 28

Swedish artist Ola Sivhead

Ola Sivhead’s installation pieces on the four elements

 

A climate artist from a small village in Sweden, Ola Sivhead has travelled all the way to Seychelles to take part in the Biennale of Contemporary Art 2022. In this short interview he speaks of the reason behind his participation in the biennale and the concept of the four elements in his installation pieces on display.

 

Seychelles NATION: Tell us how you came about to join this biennale.

Ola Sivhead: I was invited by President Danny Faure three years ago. I was inspired by his speech at the United Nations about global warming and the concern of the sea level rise for this island nation. That was the start of the project. But it has been three years now and I have expanded it so it has become the four elements; earth, wind, fire and water.

 

Seychelles NATION:Please tell us more about the installation pieces that you have set up.

Ola Sivhead:They are all very big installations which I have filmed to be able to take them indoors in the exhibition area. I have done those films, which is about two and a half minutes. We used about five cameras for each film. I have cut it so they will be short films.

 

Seychelles NATION: What is the idea behind your installations?

Ola Sivhead:The idea with the theme is to have the attention of your eyes. I am looking to have the attention of your eyes to see this precious and beautiful thing and then at the end of the films there is something which I like to call nightmare pictures.

So fire, I am pointing to the forest fires in Europe now where massive areas have just burnt down. Water is the sea level rising which will be the installation being presented here. The idea is to have your attention and then stitch you. Earth, the first time I read about global warming I was very afraid. These days it is so often that you hear about it that you almost become immune to the black letters on the newspapers. I am trying to find a way to get back to that whoa feeling.

 

Seychelles NATION:Does your installations have any reflection of where you come from?

Ola Sivhead:Somehow I would like to take the perspective that I am just one of eight billion people. I am not a speech man for this but these are my worries. This is my way to try to make the people who do not really have the time, to have a discussion and come to a conclusion to make a difference. That is how I see it. As I look in the mirror, my art has always been like this. I haven’t thought about it, but all of it has been about the environment. It is tricky to change how people do things.

 

Seychelles NATION: What are your thoughts on the installations of the other international artists?

Ola Sivhead:They are lovely. I find them very interesting. I am a painter. I usually do paintings but this project is something totally different. I am using the forces of nature, which are very difficult to take.

 

Sylia Ah-Time

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