Mauritius Students Prize 2023

When life gets difficult, escapism gives people a way to take a break from reality. Escapism can be good as it prevents burn out and reduces our stress and increase the feelings of hope. But in some cases, people are so stressed out that they prefer to opt for easy solutions like drugs, alcohol and isolation away from the busy world. Getting involved in drugs and other means of escapism make people hallucinate and they see the world differently. Some people hallucinate and they see the world differently. Some people have already created their own universe and prefer to stay in the hallucination/illusion state. Just like music is a way to escape reality and help to stabilise your mental health, being in the illusion state acts the same. The only difference is that when you are escaping from reality, you are only active mentally and freeze physically. You are in a state of illusion where you can’t react physically. Everything is moving around you. All the colours are mixing and all the patterns become optical. You create your own world when you escape from reality.

My intention for this piece is to bring awareness about the exponential rise in the number of stray dogs here in Mauritius. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t remember at least one dog roaming freely on the streets or on public beaches. Innocence on its face, deep watery eyes and a wiry belly, asking for a piece of bread and affection from passerby. Saving one dog will not change the world but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.

My first ever oil painting trying to capture the realism of Rembrandt.

Through my artwork I want to highlight the concept of freedom that is shown by the statue spreading its wings. It awakened in the feeling of being free from expectations and being reborn as a new being. The skin of the past self has been shed and the reborn self can now spread its wings without hiding any longer. This initiates a new beginning and a different aura which symbolised by the golden aura around the statue.

Grace and a grateful nature are both qualities that are often associated with women and flowers. Grace is a sense of elegance, beauty and ease, while a grateful nature is a positive attitude of admiration and gratitude for the good things in life. Grace is a quality that is often associated with women, and it is defined as the ability to move with elegance and beauty. Similarly, flowers are seen as symbols of grace and gratefulness, as they often bring beauty and joy to people’s lives. My portraiture represents Mauritian flowers and I, as a woman, how we both share this beauty and feeling of gratitude and care in life, how women’s natural tendency to nurture is reflected in the care and attention needed for flowers to thrive.

A Landscape emanation Monet and Van Gogh’s Essence.

I wanted to show a Mauritian landscape on Canvas demonstrating a house, trees and mauritian lifestyle.

My dream is to become an astronaut for the Nasa.

The painting is a stylised self-portrait in an imaginary world of delicate beauty and magical charm. A place that excites admiration, a scenic wonderland. I read to escape from reality. Between the pages of a book I can be anyone I want to be, and go anywhere I want to be!

The background has darks tones and colours which represents the life the girl had before. It was a depressing life before that she went through. The path and the girl in the back shows that she’s now moving on and going somewhere no one knows…The same girl in the front covered with flowers and butterflies shows her new life after moving on. It shows that now she’s at a stage in her life where she’s happy. Chaos flowers represent happiness and healing…butterfly. Rebirth and healing from past traumas.

Beauty of reflection in water. The mind is free like beautiful fish in water.

The dancer in this artwork is a symbol of boundless creativity and the transformative power of art. Their body is portrayed in perfect balance and alignment, showcasing the strength and precision of their craft. Every muscle and sinew is delicately detailed, capturing the intensity and dedication of their practice. She shows a subtle gaze of fierceness as if she is confident in her skills. Her thoughtless smile playing on the edge of her lips makes you wonder whether she is smiling or nervous. The background consists of simple shades in order to fully capture the beauty of the dancer.. the focus being her and her only.

This painting resembles a craving for food. Cakes are usually seen as unforbidden and irresistible which highlights the title of the artwork. Due to how much sugar is in it. I used this style full of pastel colours so that it gives this dreamy feel to the artwork. This style makes it seem as though the treat in this painting is irresistible which highlights the title of the artwork.

To embody the flow of music, I have made the use of several materials. The collage representing some thoughtful lyrics. The neutral colours such as blue, black, grey etc while creating atmosphere of joy elation, excitement and some heartfelt moments with his fans.

Inspired by Vaco Baissac.

The blue colour of Lord Krishna is representative of internal strength, senerity and calmness. In my painting, Lord Krishna is depicted as playing the flute, he is in harmony and feels the love of each and everyone. ‘To love without condition, to talk without intention, to give without reason, care without expectation, that’s the spirit of true love.

Landscape painting inspired by Salvador Dali using watercolour technique.

A painting of pomegranates.

People trapped in the circles of life.

Bittersweet as it is, from the moment one takes her first breath, first laughs, first signs of maturing and till the moment she lays prisoner to her death bed, she evolves into a different individual. The loss of innocence and the celebration of childhood is an ugly yet joyous truth. Those fleeting moments of childhood are immensely precious; this is when one opened herself to all new things and all the wonders of the world. Yet, the notion of childhood is not as honoured as much as old age. It is considered as a mere memory, left roaming in the past, soon to be forgotten. In this artwork, the major significance attributed to old age is portrayed by using a much greater scale compared to childhood. As mesmerising and impacting old age can be, childhood beats its stereotype by ushering elation and warmness through its bright colours, bringing warmth into this dull world, thus contrasting with the notion of old age.