SIAD teachers exhibit their work at Kenwyn House |17 January 2023
Barry Gertrude next to one of his paintings in the exhibition
Nine teachers of the Seychelles Institute of Art and Design (SIAD) are currently exhibiting some of their works at Kenwyn House.
The exhibition, which will run until March 18, is open daily from 9am to 4pm.
Barry Gertrude, a teacher at SIAD and coordinator of the exhibition, shares that this art exhibition is the second one hosted by the teachers. “As teachers we always encourage our students to exhibit their work, but as teachers we also have to do it, usually some of us have solo exhibitions and this time we have come together to showcase the different styles. Unfortunately many art teachers have stopped creating new art works…they do have the talent and capacity and we are doing it to motivate our colleagues to follow suit.”
Four teachers of SIAD and the director participated in the last Biennale of Art and since this is the only institution promoting arts, Mr Gertrude stated that they have the responsibility to promote new creations.
“Biennale created another interest in arts and the students are much more excited. Art is sensitive and complicated. It is hard in Seychelles to live with your art only. It is sad that very few Seychellois come to visit the exhibition, it is high time for Seychellois to appreciate the art works of the Seychellois artists and also come visit the Kenwyn House itself as it a National Monument,” noted Mr Gertrude.
Work of the artists
The artworks of Marsha Dine, two photographs, are inspired by the small things that we tend to overlook in life.
Ireny Romain is displaying some nice hand painted bags. She explained that the process of making art provides her with a meditative space where she feels connected to things in a peaceful way when she is making her works.
Daniel Dodin’s paintings are built up of physical layers as well, paint dripped and sprayed onto canvasses, sometimes quite small, sometimes vast. This creates landscapes which he populates with figures, drawn from a variety of reference material: people from the past, the troubled youth of Seychelles, addicts, images from India, of immigrants and refugees. He sees his work simply as a portrayal of these people and wants the audience to feel free to discover their own interpretations.
Zoe Chong Seng prefers mostly oil paints on canvas or board and her style is mainly figurative with elements of Realism, and respect for the nature of the medium being used.
Christine Chetty Payet, the director of SIAD, noted that her work in the exhibits are “like many women, from different walks of life and with differing cultural environments and ethnic traditions. I draw inspiration and make reference to the women’s artistic expressions born several generations before me”.
Marcus Finesse is into digital graphic artwork and as a teacher he is motivated to bring the art element and principles into his art work.
Julien Brioche works mainly in a classic style but he likes to bring in a contemporary twist. He works with oil paints but he also explores mixed media techniques.
Marc Luc describes his artistic style as bold. He uses abstract expressionism, fauvism and action painting which he discovered during his studies. “My paintings in this exhibition were inspired by the recent wet days. I’ve always admired the reflection resulting from the heavy rain by the school compound.”
The accompanying photographs show some of the paintings on display in the exhibition.
Photos: Louis Toussaint
