Four artists selected to take part in 2024 Venice Biennale |07 September 2023

Ryan Chetty (Photo: Joena Meme)

Four artists – Ryan Chetty, Jude Ally, Danielle Freakly and Juliette Zelime – have been chosen to take part in the upcoming Venice Biennale in 2024.

This was announced yesterday by curator Martin Kennedy and the executive director of Creative Seychelles Agency (CSA), Emmanuel D’Offay in a press meet at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS).

The Venice Biennale, which has been described as ‘the Olympics of the contemporary art world’, is the most prestigious exhibition of modern art in the world.

It is scheduled for April 20, 2024, with pre-openings on April 17, 18 and 19, and closes on November 24, 2024. The four artists will be accompanied by curator Martin Kennedy and co-curator Karyn Zialor.

Mr Kennedy explained that an open call was made in 2022 by the Creative Seychelles Agency to encourage Seychellois artists working in and outside Seychelles to apply, to represent the country in Venice next year. Since at that time the Venice 2024 theme had not been decided, artists were invited to submit CVs and examples of prior work for consideration.

There were 15 expressions of interest and the Creative Seychelles Biennale (Venice) committee selected four to represent the country at the 60th edition. They are Jude Ally who is a highly regarded expressionist/colourist artist, Ryan Chetty who was the overall winner of the 2022 Seychelles Biennale of Contemporary Art, Danielle Freakly who is a highly regarded Seychellois-Australian installation/performance artist, and Juliette Zelime aka Jadez who was the winner of the best emerging artist prize at the 2022 Seychelles Biennale of Contemporary Art.

Seychelles has previously taken part officially at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 Venice biennales. National pavilions were created in collaboration with the European Cultural Centre. National pavilions are exhibitions of carefully selected artists, which represent the highest quality of art being made, usually, by nationals of that country. Major nations such as the USA, France, and Germany exhibit in an area called the ‘Giardini’. These buildings are permanent and unique structures.

Nearby is the ‘Arsenale exhibition zone’, where there are many other national pavilions. Together the ‘Giardini’ and the ‘Arsenale’ are the official Venice exhibition zones. However many, typically smaller nations, mount national exhibitions outside these two areas.

All national participations are judged, with The Golden Lion awarded to one nation. The 2022 prize was awarded to Great Britain.

Mr Kennedy has announced that this time around, there is a new element for Seychelles. “We have been offered, for the first time, an exhibition space in the prestigious ‘Arsenale zone’ of the official biennale, and two of our artists will exhibit there, with two exhibiting in the nearby ‘Palazzo Mora’; the location of our 2015 and 2019 national pavilions,” he stated.

Mr Kennedy said there are numerous benefits to Seychelles’ participation at the event.

“One major outcome from our participation is unquantifiable – the generation of tourism business. CSA will work with the department of tourism in order to promote the Seychelles’ destination at the Venice biennale. Our Venice participation – especially within the ‘Arsenale zone’ – raises our game exponentially. It sends a strong message across the international arts landscape. We and our artists will ‘get noticed’ by major players; gallerists, curators, collectors and art journalists,” added Mr Kennedy.

To be able to gain a spot at the ‘Arsenale’ is not an easy task. “Nations fight for years to exhibit inside the ‘Arsenale’; we have been fortunate to have been allocated a space. Our artists’ work will be seen in person by millions of visitors and, through media and related digital/virtual platforms, many millions more. Our artists will benefit from this exposure and will help them to further develop their careers as key Seychellois creatives,” stated Mr Kennedy.

Seychelles will once again work with the European Cultural Centre (ECC) and its president Rene Rietmeyer, in order to utilise exhibition space within the Palazzo Mora, which is administered by the ECC. The exhibition will be commissioned by CSA’s executive director, Emmanuel D’Offay, while logistics support will be provided by Ilaria Isola and the CSA team.

Curator Kennedy explained that ideas and concepts have already been developed for the exhibition as they have already been meeting with the three artists working in Seychelles in both group and solo settings, as well as worked with the artist currently based in Australia, through online platforms.

This preparation will continue up to the installation of Seychelles’ national pavilion next year.

Australia-based artist Danielle Freakley said her installation in Venice will benefit from the guidance of Raimundas Malasauskas, one of the most influential curators in the world. He will co-curate her installation, at no cost to Seychelles. This will bring immense media and industry attention to Seychelles’ exhibition.

“Our intention to showcase two women artists in the ‘Arsenale’ also reflects a desire to correct a gender imbalance which has existed from the time of our first national participation in 2015. Our 2024 participation will see two male artists exhibiting with two female artists. All four of our 2024 artists are exhibiting in Venice for the first time. We should support them; their exhibitions will further inform and sustain developments across the visual arts in Seychelles.” concluded the curator.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the CSA, Mr D’Offay has appealed to sponsors to come forward to fund this event.

“Seychelles was not officially represented at the 2022 Venice Biennale and a decision was subsequently taken to reinstate our national presence in 2024. The cost of Seychelles’ participation at this international event will be around R2 to 3 million and CSA will cover one third of the cost. Now we are calling upon art supporters to come forward for sponsorship,” stated Mr D’Offay.

Once it closes in Venice on November 24, 2024, the exhibition will travel to Seychelles where it will be on display at the National Gallery of Seychelles at the refurbished National Library building in January 2025.

This will enable Seychellois and residents to see the artists’ work and will form the hub of an education programme which will enhance arts teaching in local schools.

Furthermore, Seychellois artists will be able to directly experience the work, and apply for future participations through open calls with greater confidence and awareness of the standard of work demanded by major international platforms.

Vidya Gappy