(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles is gearing up for the return of the Biennale of Contemporary Art later this year after an absence of more than 15 years.

The launching of the biennale under the theme “In a world of crisis, what does art do?” took place recently in a short ceremony at the National Arts Council (NAC) headquarters in the capital, Victoria, where participating artists were also revealed.

The build-up to the Seychelles’ Biennale of Contemporary Arts, which is a platform for artistic exchange and cultural collaboration, was the launching of a website -- www.byenalsesel.com.  

The website is an important tool to provide all visual artists with important information regarding the Biennale 2017. Artists will be able to gather as much information they need from the website (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

According to the chief executive of the National Arts Council, Jimmy Savy, the event, which is scheduled for November this year, will allow Seychellois artists to work and compete in a friendly atmosphere with their counterparts from other countries.

The biennale "will also promote and foster arts development as well as encouraging members of the public to appreciate the arts and its development, and also get visitors to our islands to appreciate local visual arts,” said Savy.

Through the website, local visual artists taking part in the event can get all the information they require and the public can also gain more insights on art in Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean.

“In a world of crisis, what does art do?” is the theme for this years biennale (Salifa Magnan, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

The Seychelles ‘Biennale of Contemporary Art’ is a key platform for artistic exchange and cultural collaboration, and will also help contribute to the diversity and vitality of art in Seychelles.

In his address at the launching ceremony, Savy stressed the importance of the biennale for local artists and said that it is a platform for them to showcase their work and portray their talents to the world.

“The website is an important tool to provide all visual artists with important information regarding the Biennale 2017. Artists will be able to gather as much information they need from the website,” he said. 

Painting of Seychellois the appointed commissioner of Byenal Sesel 2017, Nigel Henrie (Nigel Henri) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

Painting of Frances Chang-Him, one of the participants of the Biennale of Contemporary Art (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Well-known Seychellois artist Nigel Henrie – the appointed commissioner of Byenal Sesel 2017 said, “This auspicious event is to also give recognition and value which arts play in our daily life, all form of visual art will be on exhibit and these will include installations, videos, paintings, sculptures and photographs.”

International artists can also participate in the Biennale and they have until the end of June to register. More information can be obtained from the new website.