George Camille's work evokes the mystical splendour of Seychelles |26 August 2006

From August 1 to August 13, Camille exhibited 35 of his latest works of art at the Red T Space Gallery in Beijing, China.
It was the first time that Camille set up an exhibition in China, the world’s fourth largest country.
 
Camille says that each of the paintings exhibited brings the visitors into an intense journey into the physical beauty and evocative mythology of the Seychelles islands.

Some of the paintings in exhibit were Within Without, Interruption and Thinking Doing which all incorporate objects such as copper, wire, card which Camille used to fuse them with paint, metal and fire (the wood is scorched into the required shape, as if by a pencil of flame). Elsewhere in Reflecting and The Mirror we see the representation of the coco de mer, the world’s largest seed, unique to Seychelles and one of the most potent and durable symbols of the country’s environment, beauty and mystery.

Camille, who is inspired by the natural beauty of the Seychelles' environment, reveals himself as an exponent of stylized figurative.

Though it was the first time that he exhibited in China, Camille – who has previously held exhibitions in Reunion, Mauritius and Martinique – says that his work were greatly appreciated by the Chinese people and artists as well as other tourists visiting the gallery.

Through the exhibition, Camille wanted the viewers to reflect on life’s primary forces of purpose – plants, water and air – and self-knowledge. For him, trees, plants, water and air are all around us and sustain us.

Stating that the exhibition was an opportunity for him to showcase the works of Seychellois artists, Camille says that though his work was new to the Chinese, they were delighted to get the gist of a new form of art.

Camille observes that compared to Seychelles, the art industry is booming in China.
Stating that local artists are very talented and highlighting the difficulty to exhibit overseas, Camille is nevertheless encouraging local artists to persevere and go beyond the local market.

Camille, who strongly believes that an artist has a responsibility to send home truthful and entertaining reports from the varied topographies visited on life’s journey, has expressed words of thanks to Qatar Airways, the airline which has enabled him to transport his works of art to Beijing.

Meanwhile, Camille says that he has plans to exhibit some of his works in Reunion next year and that the local public will be able to view the paintings he exhibited in Beijing during this year’s Arts Festival.