The local arts council hopes to attract foreign competitors for the following year’s Zenn Artis Kreolofonn (Young Creolophone Artist) competition, which this year has about sixty-one young artists from Seychelles paying respect to traditional fashion.
Held yearly during the Creole Festival, the Zenn Artis Kreolofonn is a competition that highlights the artistic abilities of young people between the ages of 14 and 21.
“Our current goal is to bring back young artists from the area to participate in the next edition,” Norifa Accouche, the National Arts and Crafts Council’s (NACC) arts development officer, told SNA on Monday.
She clarified that NACC was attempting to bring the program back to its previous state when other young artists from the area participated in it.
Accouche was speaking after the competition’s prize-giving event at the Carrefour de Arts on Mahe’s main island.
This year’s competition, she added, attracted 61 submissions, and it “incorporates those who attend visual arts workshops NACC holds during school holidays.”
Another recent development is the inclusion of various artistic mediums in the competition by the arts and culture administration.
“We have also included those who do artisanal arts so that members of the public can view them,” she stated.
The jury for this year’s competition consisted of three people who evaluated the entries submitted. NACC had previously notified the schools of this year’s subject so that they could begin working with their kids before assessing their work earlier this month.
The public may view the artwork from the Zenn Artis Kreolofonn competition for the next three weeks at Carrefour des Arts in Victoria, the capital, from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm.
The traditional Seychelles clothing made from natural materials was the subject this year.
The 14–17-year-old division winner, Jessica Marie of Praslin Secondary School, informed reporters that “many people; from those I visited when I was younger to the museums I have also visited,” had influenced her art.
She remarked, “I wish that I could be like her,” because her teacher is a well-known designer.
Marie said that she was paying homage to her grandparents’ patchwork quilts with her patchwork ensemble.
Sheryl Confiance, a student at the Seychelles Institute of Art and Design (SIAD), took first place in the 18–21 age group with an ensemble composed of banana and coconut leaves.
“I chose these materials as I feel they are easy to work with when making clothes,” she stated. Until October 31st, several Creole Festival events are still taking place.
