Mauritian painters
This panorama of visual artists sheds light on current Mauritian art.
Among the artists who have left their mark, Malcolm de Chazal (1902-1981) is one of the most famous Mauritian painters, whose canvases (mostly reproductions) adorn the walls of several major hotels. Recognized by the Surrealists of the 1930s, he wrote a number of works, including Petrusmik, Sens plastique, Sens magique... He was an eccentric who devoted himself entirely to art, and was said to spend entire days locked away in a Port-Louis hotel. His naive gouaches are highly colorful, and aim to convey the enchantment of the world. Their main motifs are Mauritian: flowers, birds, fish, fishing villages, coconut palms...
Another emblematic figure is Vaco Baissac (1940-2023). His highly representative pictorial work, warm and colorful, gives pride of place to fruit, species of flora and fauna, vegetation, but also to women of Indian and African origin, the sea... Recently deceased, this painter of Creole life exhibited at major international shows and was frequently invited by European museums. Reproductions of his works regularly adorn the walls of Mauritian hotels.
Among contemporary painters , several names are popular with gallery owners and the public. Such is the case of Murthy Nagalingum, a reserved and introspective artist who is considered one of the leading figures of a pivotal period in Mauritian art. Originally influenced by Impressionism, he soon turned to figurative rather than abstract painting, in which white and pale colors dominate. His favorite subjects are the female form.
Amrita Auckloo Dyalah is also considered one of the leaders of new Mauritian painting. Known on the island since the 1970s, her reputation grew in the 1990s, thanks to her meeting with Yves Henri (a Parisian painter and gallery owner). Often exhibited in France, she has galleries in Mauritius and is actively involved in promoting other Mauritian painters. Her pictorial work gives pride of place to female figures, which she paints with a knife in sunny colors.
More recently, young painter Céline Levieux has made a name for herself with vibrant canvases that sensitively express her attachment to Mauritian nature. Her large-format, poetic works sometimes tend towards abstraction and pointillism.
Passion images
Pierre Argo, born in Mauritius in 1941, trained at the Beaux-arts workshops in Port-Louis. As well as acquiring the technique of the plastic arts, he was introduced to photography, which he has never ceased to practice. His painting, described as lyrical abstraction, is rooted in the elements of the surrounding world. He honed his photographic eye on his travels. His images are published in renowned magazines. He regularly exhibits at the Adamah Fine Arts gallery, which represents both international and Mauritian artists.
The island also boasts an exceptional photographic collection, part of which can be seen at the Musée de la Photographie, currently undergoing a complete overhaul in a new location in the capital. The collection traces the history of local photography and, through it, the history of Mauritius, with photographs of portraits, landscapes, town and country scenes, key events, factories, fishing scenes, the first automobiles, the first buses, the Mauritian railroad, colonial houses, historic buildings, flora and fauna. At the same time, the collection presents the technical side of photographic art, with a thousand vintage cameras, a specialized library, 400,000 negatives, daguerreotypes and autochromes by the Lumière brothers. More than 200,000 prints and twenty-five hours of film show the history of the island and its inhabitants from 1939 to the present day. Added to this is a collection of newspapers on local photography from the late 19thcentury to 1945.
Street side
The tradition of street food invites you to roam the streets of the capital. It is an opportunity to discover contemporary creation under the light of street art. If this art form remained confidential until 2015, it has spread under the impulse of the Porlwi festival. Many Mauritian and foreign artists were invited to express themselves on the walls of the capital. Each of the three editions gathered not less than a third of the Mauritian population! Frescoes and murals have become an interesting showcase of the island's cultural landscape.
It is in the capital that one can discover the frescoes executed by confirmed artists such as Gaël Froget (at the corner of Remy Ollier and Jummah Mosque), Evan Sohun (who composed a long fresco in naive style at the corner of Edith Cavell and Mère Barthelemy), as well as the graffiti of Resko. Among the international signatures: the monsters of Bault, the women of Frau Isa, the child of Seth or the geometric compositions of Quintessenz.
Want to find the humorous note that makes the salt of street art? Track down the bestiary of the Reunionese Mehdi MLC or the gouzous of Jace, these little orange characters so cute that signal the passage of the French street artist established in Reunion. After that, have fun spotting the young talents who are rising in the urban art scene. Chloe Ip used her collage technique here, Brian Lamoureux scattered his white drawings on a black background, and Dévid shared his symbolic art with all passers-by.
Now, street art is moving out of the cities to the coast, as a style more representative of Mauritius asserts itself. The book Mauritius Street Art by the Swiss-born Mauritian photographer Gada offers a tour of the island through her eyes. Her fascination for social diversity sheds light on this dive into the heart of an art that is at one with its environment. With her, we discover how street art enriches public space. Her messages aiming to raise awareness of environmental or political issues spread from the city to the villages and the beach. All this through frescoes, mosaics and stencils that make you smile. All the more reason to combine the charms of the island.
