These paintings are found at Victoria Station in Port Louis. You will find a new shopping center here, though, not complety finished yet. The street on the photos is also where the busses going to the south of the island will stop. So, in a way the place also functions as a bus station. That's why there is a time table on some of the photos and benches for the public to wait for the bus. The walls have been decorated by many local artist and all are done in 2022. Besides each painting there is a small metal plate with information about the artist and some words by the artist. I have chosen to reproduce / copy the excact words by the artists.
«The Dreamcatcher»
The artist behind this painting is Nirveda Alleck. She was born in Mauritius in 1975. She is using the human as a subject, but using differnet media as painting, installations, videos etc. An active artist on the international artscene, who has participated in a large amount of international exhibitions in New York, India, Algerie, Beirut, Dakar and Reunion Island.
About «The Dreamcatcher» she says: «the dreamcatcher is inspired by personal mussings on the surrealism that the dream state allows us to experience. The landscape at the bottom comes from the sentiment of flying above, as we can experience on google earth, with a wide angle and seeing mor than just the peripheral vision allows. The flying bed, as metahor for the vechicle for the dream, helped in its own desire to soar above by the bird, the anthropomorphic female who sits on her own existential weight; the dreamcatcher standing on the inverted tree trying to bring us back to reallity»
This painting does have a signature, Stephanie Desvaux, but there is no little sign with information next to the painting, so I don't really have any information about her.
«Still life with a yellow bird»
The name of the artist is Roger Charoux, who was born in 1929 and is still living in Mauritius. He got a schollarship so that he could study fine art in London . He has sold his paintings both nationally and internationally. Art critic Mercedes Carmona defines his work as «the identity of African Art in relation with European Aesthetics, Modern African painting» as having influenced African Impressionist painting.
In his own words: «I started drawing when I was seven years old and now I am93 years old. My first exhibition was at the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) in Curepipe (city in Mauritius) that was opened by the poet Robert Edward Hart in 1949, who wrote the preface to the cateloque of the exhibition. Still life has been a major part of my work as it brought me joy. In this painting I started out with a child's drawing and adapted it to look like a stage setting».
«Exotic guitars»
Painted by Jocelyn Thomasse. He was born in 1950, so that means he has been painting for many years. About himself he says: « My work depicts a singing and colorful still life. After studying at Serge Constantin's studio, my practice has never stopped. The passion for drawing and painting still lives with me every day»
«Within the Box»
Armand Gachet was born in Mauritius in 1975, but was raised in South Africa. He has worked with graphic designs, illustrations and in advertising. For some time he has lived in India and Kazakstan before he mooved back to Mauritius in 2003 to continue as an artist, working with murals and sculptures.
About himself he says: « I am an artist, sculpture and designer that is never bored to learn new things. We live our lives in self-made boxes that conditon us to confinement of our direct senses and how people expect us to be. We want to grow and liberate ourselves but do not have the right key to open the box. Knowledge of one's self is the key to freedom».
«Shack at Pointe aux Sables»
Bernard Sharoux has done this painting, depicting village life. He has painted for the last 45 years( since he was eight years old). When he was thirteen, his father Roger Charoux, introduced him to Serge Constantin's drawing classes. He has explored both oilpainting, ink and watercolor. It's watercolor he has done mostly for the past twenty years. What inspires him, is landscape and cities.
About his work he says: «My attempt here was the depiction of a typical village life scene, characterised by a lush vegetation backdrop and shacks in the foreground. I introduced bold colours to achieve this look. At the end of the day, it was all about removing rather than adding things to the work».
«The district of Port Louis look like a fish»
The artist behind this «fish» is Christophe Rey, born in 1978 in Cape Town, South - Africa, but by Mauritian parents. He was educated both in Mauritius and Johannesburg.
About his painting he syas: « The site-specific nature of murals means for me that when creating one in Port Louis the work should have something to do with Port Louis – however obliquely for the District of Port Louis and more specifically for it's shape; and just like when I look up at the clouds and try to give meaning to their shapes, I looked at the shape of the district in question and saw a fish. So I painted a fish. I stayed true to the actual shape of the district and that so as to bring the viewer – if ever he or she were to recognise the shape – to think about the districts: those man made divisions that come fore election times, divisions such as districts are always politically driven and ours just remind me of these deply flawed electoral system for which they are the cornerstones. I specifically chose the colors of the national flag as a way to highlight this idea – national pride being one of those heart strings politicians so love to tug on».
«Laparens»
This wall is done by Evan Sohun. He was born in 1985 and at the age of sixteen he started drawing and publishing. He has studiet graphic design and has already tried to shape a world of his own. Now he is more and more into discorting notions of proportions and perspectives.
About his work he says:» This painting is a depiction of a conversation between Toudim and a friend. A friend whose world, which he thought was perfect, has been disrupted»
It is also Jocelyn Thomasse who is behind this mural. It's not in the same street as the others, but located on a building opposite the street. I was very happy to come across brand new art at the very end of my vacation.
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All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)
[//]:# (!pinmapple -20.163228 lat 57.506475 long STREET ART #121 – Decorated walls at Victoria Station in Port Louis (Mauritius) d3scr)
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