59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

Everyday life in Seychelles showcased through paintings at international art exhibition

The Venice Biennale is one of the biggest art events in the world, bringing together contemporary art from across the globe, in a city of great historic and artistic value – Venice, Italy.

It has become an important site of cultural exchange which attracts a global audience, showcasing art of all genres, scales and tastes. Many visitors travel especially to Venice throughout the duration of the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, making the most of the opportunity to view the latest developments in the international art world.

Seychelles first took part in the Venice Biennale in 2015, represented by eminent artists George Camille and Leon Radegonde.  Seychellois artists have maintained their presence at the prestigious event since then, with a group exhibition of giant tortoise sculptures in 2017, and younger artist Daniel Dodin joining George Camille in 2019.

The 2021 biennale was postponed to April 2022 due to the COVID-19 situation, and these unfortunate circumstances also prevented Seychelles from organising official representation to the 59th Biennale. However, all was not lost, with the European Cultural Centre providing the chance for a Seychellois artist to participate in the Personal Structures exhibition, which is a biennial contemporary art exhibition which runs alongside the main Biennale in Venice. This arrangement was made possible with the support of Messrs Rene Reitmeyer and Martin Kennedy, and the National Arts and Culture Fund Seychelles which is managed by the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts.

Artist Zoe Chong Seng was selected to represent Seychelles, and it must be noted that she is the first female artist to do so. This coincides with the fact that the official Venice Biennale has this year been dominated by a strong female presence, with the Golden Lion for Best National Participation awarded to Sonia Boyce of the British Pavilion, who is the first Black female artist to receive this honour.

Chong Seng got the chance to travel to Venice in April this year, to deliver and set up work for the Personal Structures exhibition, which is organised and hosted by European Cultural Centre. This year, the exhibition presents 192 artists from 51 countries and is spread over three venues in the city. She is presenting a collection of her work, consisting of small paintings of scenes of everyday life in Seychelles, and some larger portraits of Seychellois youth.  Chong Seng’s paintings celebrate aspects of everyday life which do not usually get much attention: people on their way home after work, waiting for the bus, stopping for a chat or a rest.

In the words of Martin Kennedy, these moments “… are increasingly undervalued and overlooked to the point of near invisibility, and if the actions of an unexceptional day disappear, then those who live such days are also at risk of marginalisation. These compositions respond accordingly; they validate and bestow aesthetic and narrative currency and enhance the dignity of those depicted”.

Chong Seng hopes that the paintings on display in Venice can help bring a slightly different view of Seychelles to a large audience. The subjects of her paintings are very typically Seychellois, yet anybody can relate to them on a human level, feel the mundaneness of everyday life, or recognise the small passing moments that make up our days. The exhibit can be viewed using the European Cultural Centre’s virtual tour of the Personal Structures exhibition, found on the following link: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=D2BKgWrZG1q&sr=2.98,-.34&SS=395

Born 1987, a Seychellois of mixed heritage, Chong Seng studied art in Perth, Australia, and since her return in 2012, she has been teaching at The Seychelles Institute of Art and Design (SIAD). Working primarily with oil paints, her interest is in depicting the human figure and exploring the creation of images which attempt to capture both physical appearance and the rather more intangible emotional and psychological spaces.  She attempts to create images which encompass the internal as well as the external.

The young artist is currently loosely exploring contemporary life in Seychelles, with one body of work revolving around portraits of the youth, and another which explores everyday scenes of people. She enjoys the relationships between things and the connections they form with each other.

Chong Seng is also expected to have work on show in the upcoming Seychelles Biennale of Contemporary Art 2022 which will be held from July 31 to August 28. She believes that there is a broad range of practising artists in Seychelles, who produce very interesting and varied work, and there is a lot of artistic potential here.

“I hope that the younger generation can be more self-motivated, initiating projects and sharing their artistic talents, or at least making the most of the opportunities that are available already. Artistic skills can be applied in a range of contexts, and can be hugely effective ways of communicating and exploring ideas. I wish to see people using their abilities to make a difference, or simply to make life a little bit richer,” she said.

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