Luxury Indian Ocean LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN #7 EDITION 2018 | Page 129

© Jace, Opus Art
from the outset. Unfortunately, the Mauritian Ministry of Culture did
not show the same enthusiasm, as the absence of financial funding on
their part may suggest.
A long way to go
Porlwi is not an isolated case. In Mauritius, as well as in the other
islands of the region, contemporary art suffers a critical lack of
support. While access to art supplies is expensive, the market size is
impeding the financial independence of artists as well as their capacity
to experiment. “With its light, rhythm of life and contrasts, our island
is an exceptional site for creation”, says artist Gaël Froget. “However,
the structures that are designed to support the art industry still need
to be developed”, he concludes.
Artist Krishna Luchoomun, who has fought to establish the first
Mauritian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, claims that our artists are
not represented at the various biennales, triennales and art fairs. A
National Art Fund has recently been created, but it is too early to say
if it is working efficiently. Our island is also suffering from the near-
absence of professionals of the art business, such as art critics and
journalists, curators, etc.
In the Seychelles, only the Alliance Française and a few private
galleries are offering their support to local artists. Pierre Harter,
director of Passerose gallery, deplores the lack of interest for
contemporary art in the general population and confirms that it is
hard for artists to live from their work. The National Arts Council
and the local tourism industry could certainly do more, but this
would probably not solve the issue of sales. As Alicia Maurel pointed
out, the rating of an artist on the international scene is unfortunately
determined by his/her sales. In 2017, the Seychelles Contemporary
Art Biennale was back after 15 years – an encouraging initiative
for the local art industry. So was the creation of the Seychelles
Art Projects Foundation, thanks to which the country has been
represented at the Venice Biennale.
With major support structures such as the FRAC, the Direction
Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (DRAC), Région Réunion and
EDITION #7
L’Artothèque, Reunion stands out from the other islands. However,
Reunionese artists also suffer from the remoteness of distribution sites,
few networking opportunities and underdeveloped market sector. As
Béatrice Binoche explains, “they are considered as regional artists, and
until now, only those who have chosen exile have been able to circulate
and distribute their works”. (Such is the case of the Mauritian Gaël
Froget: 90% of his pieces have been sent abroad.) In order to achieve
international recognition, Jace has decided to showcase his works online
and to travel abroad to expand his creative network.
Mauritius... What now?
Krishna Luchoomun is optimistic: “There’s a growing interest for African
artists. It’s the right time for Mauritius to make a breakthrough on the
international art scene”. In the same line, Charlie d’Hotman reports that
the proportion of art collectors in the population is hopeful. As we have
seen, many projects are underway, and tax incentives have recently been
proposed by the Mauritian government. What more can we expect?
According to Salim Currimjee, one basic step would be the creation of
a Mauritian art museum, whereby foreign assessors would be invited to
identify artists of international stature. Another suggestion from Krishna
Luchoomun is to host yearly auctions, which would help establish the
value of local artists while boosting art sales. In the meantime, The
Third Dot is fighting for the professionalisation of practices, especially
by developing patronage in Mauritius, on which they rely to provide
their artists with optimal exhibition conditions (lights, catalogue, etc.).
The Mauritian public and local businesses also have a role to play: by
showing some interest for arts, attending exhibitions and buying pieces,
whenever possible.
Most of these ideas can apply to the Reunionese and Seychelles
context. However, Mauritius should model Reunion as far as cultural
mediation is concerned. While Salim Currimjee, Charlie d’Hotman,
the Porlwi festival and the likes have played an active role in bringing
contemporary arts to the younger population, it is crucial for both
public and private institutions to increase students’ exposure to local
and international creations.
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