Art
“People were talking about the need to produce a book
about art in Seychelles when I first arrived here in 1997
and I was told that this idea had been discussed for at
least twenty years before that.”
However, despite all the talk the project remained
unrealised until Arterial Network Seychelles, under the
direction of artist George Camille, decided to publish the
first definitive volume on the history, development and
current state of the visual arts in the Seychelles.
Arterial canvassed its members,
many of whom are working artists,
and placed ‘calls to action’ in the
national press, inviting artists to
contact the organisation and express
an interest in being included in the
book. Martin Kennedy was asked to
write it, based on his prior experience
of writing catalogues and features on
many Seychellois artists, as well as
his international experience, mainly
gleaned in the areas of UK gallery and
school art education programmes.
A core team was quickly assembled.
Design and layout was undertaken
by local company Silkwater Graphics
and principal photography by French/
Seychellois Laurent Levy. Finally the
Seychelles Pension Fund came on board with the financial
assistance required to realise the project.
The template for the book is simple. The ‘then’
section explores the development of visual art through
sketches of the principal protagonists, commencing
with the work of the emancipated slave Billy King and
moving on to chart the topography of (mainly) painting
and drawing through three categories of artists; the
deceased, the transient and the lapsed. The ‘now’ section
is significantly more substantial, taking up almost 85% of
the publication. Kennedy explains:
“This was to establish the book as primarily a
contemporary project. Each of the artists featured is
currently producing art in Seychelles and every one of
them is present in their own words as well as through
the images of their work. There is my own critical
contribution in each case but for me the more interesting
aspect of this book is hearing the individual voices of the
artists as they speak about their work and their lives.”
With almost 80 artists featured across the two
sections of the book, it is hard to single
out individuals for particular attention,
however Absolute took special note of
the work of brother and sister Alyssa and
Tristan Adams, both successful and prolific
artists and, interestingly, the children of
Michael and Heather Adams. Michael is
recognised as the ‘father’ of contemporary
art in Seychelles and his unique figurative
paintings and prints represent to many
residents and visitors the essential visual
iconography of the country.
Alyssa and Tristan have followed
in Michael’s footsteps insofar as their
art is a passionate, lyrical response to
the natural environment of Seychelles.
The styles of the two artists are very
different, not only one from the other
but also when compared to the work of their father.
Alyssa’s paintings are intensely busy; her (often) limited
palette compositions respond to the insane congestion
of the tropical forest, where growth is a fight for survival
and light is the ultimate objective. The artist gets in
close to her subjects, working directly en plein air,
getting to know their gnarled and tangled beauty; “I
superimpose decorative motifs onto what are essentially
representational landscapes” the artist says, “Although
I paint directly from nature I get lost in whimsy. I am a
brush seamstress.”Martin Kennedy, the author of the recently published and hardback ‘Art in Seychelles: Then and
Now’ speaks to Absolute Seychelles about the story behind his highly-acclaimed book and we take an
in depth look at the artists within that have shaped the island’s art scene throughout the years.
IN SEYCHELLES
CREATING
THEN AND NOW
ABSOLUTE