From April 7th to May 20th, the Caudan Arts Centre in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, will host the inaugural edition of the Contemporary Art Forum, a new cultural event conceived and organised by the Kamil Art Gallery in Monaco.
Built around the theme ‘Lines and Colours of Hope’, the forum brings together eight artists spanning painting, sculpture, drawing and photography for over six weeks of exhibitions, workshops and public talks.
The event was created by Kamil Jelmoni and his sister Caroline Jelmoni, director of the gallery and secretary general of Monaco Art Week, and will operate under the High Patronage of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.
The artists selected include: French painter Jordane Saget, Franco-German artist Eric Massholder, Spanish painter and visual artist Quim Bou Serrano, Spanish painter and draughtsman Sabala, painter and draughtsman Fernando Martinez Garcia, Monégasque sculptor and painter Stéphane Chavanis, American photographer Jordan Matter and Monégasque street artist Anthony Alberti, better known as Mr One Teas.
They were chosen for both their creative range and their following. “I want to make noise,” said Caroline Jelmoni, noting that artists like Matter and Saget bring substantial international audiences with them.
Workshops, talks and live global audience
The forum isn’t just a traditional exhibition, but it also incorporates a programme of workshops, which will see students and members of the public work alongside the artists.
Additionally, two curator-led roundtable discussions will be streamed live online. The academic conversations, led by Dr Fereshte Moosavi of Goldsmiths, University of London, and Dr Fanny Curtat of the Université du Québec à Montréal, will explore connections between the artists’ practices and broader themes of ecology and creative responsibility.
At the heart of the project lies a partnership with Fight Aids Monaco and its supported centre, Chrysalide, a refuge for women and children affected by domestic violence in Mauritius.
The forum will stage two charity gold tournaments, tombolas and auction events to raise funds for the association, with proceeds supporting Chrysalide’s psychological, legal and social reintegration programmes.
Across several workshop sessions running throughout the event, two collective artworks will take shape: one through a series of sessions bringing together Jordane Saget and the women of Chrysalide, and a second led by Mr One Teas with local students. Both will be unveiled at the Caudan Arts Centre during the run of the show.
In fact, Princess Stéphanie herself will take part in the workshop at Chrysalide on April 8th, alongside Jordane Saget and Mr One Teas.
Describing his approach, Mr One Teas said the piece would be made “by them, with them” — an artwork that honours the country through “a communion between us”.
The exhibition opens to the public on April 10th, with the vernissage the evening before.
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Main photo credit: Monaco Life