2022 event

June 2022 event

about art and coral ecosystems

The art award and exhibition, talks and activities
will take place at the Caudan Arts Centre over a 3 week period.

Don’t let your prejudices win. Expose yourself to art and see what happens.

Anthony Gormley, sculptor.

‘Coral reefs are not only beautiful, but they are also very important. These reefs are like secret cities of the sea, homes to a wide variety of species of undersea life. The loss of coral reefs would have a profound impact on our oceans and sea life. Furthermore… hundreds of millions of people depend on coral reefs as a barrier against tropical cyclones… a vital source of food… a major role in pharmaceutical research. In short coral reefs are a vital part of our planet. One thing we do know is that their long-term survival is under threat.’

Stephen Catlin, Chief Executive of Catlin Group, Catlin Seaview Survey.

our amazing coral
ecosystems

reefs, lagoons, beaches, mangroves and the communities they support

Our reef ecosystem, a natural treasure, is crucial to our survival as a nation.

Mauritius, our tropical island, is surrounded by amazingly beautiful, complex, finely balanced and fragile coral reef, lagoon, beach, seagrass meadow and mangrove ecosystems.

These are home to hundreds of species. Unfortunately a large proportion of our corals have died and are continuously being damaged by us, humans and the changing environmental conditions for which we are responsible. These include agro-chemical and plastic pollution (often coming down rivers), overfishing, destruction of the reef by people and boats and rising sea temperatures caused by global warming. Globally, coral reefs are facing catastrophic destruction as warmer seas cause wide scale bleaching events, leading to the death of these organisms, which in turn cause the disappearance of whole food chains.

This directly impacts communities which depend on coastal waters to feed themselves and earn a living, often through fishing and the tourism sector.

The 2019 Wakashio disaster has made us aware of the precious resources that need protecting and increased our appreciation of the natural environment.

Now is a good time to step back and assess the impact of this event on our island and its people. We should take responsibility and try to find proactive solutions in order to move forward together.

artists, get started

1

Find out about the wonderful natural resource that is our coral ecosystem.

Visit our Inspiration page to learn more about the theme!

2

Create one or more works exploring our coral reef ecosystem and/or our human relationship to it.

Most mediums are acceptable, eg painting and drawing; photography and video; sculpture, installation and ceramics; printmaking, street art, embroidery, textile art…

3

Submit your work online *
Artists’ registration now open

A curatorial team will make a pre-selection of the best works. Finalists’ works will be assessed by local judges for the young and amateur categories, and international judges for the open category.

total prizes worth over Rs600,000

Prizes will be awarded for works that combine excellence and relevance to the subject matter. Prizes aim to help winners on their artistic journey.

Our three categories:

1 Best Artist
Sponsored by Sunny Food Canners
- For experienced and/or professional artists
- Jury: international art professionals
- Cash prizes

2 Best Amateur Artist
Sponsored by CIM Finance
- For aspiring, artists, non-professional artists and students enrolled in creative courses (art, design, architecture etc) at tertiary level.
- Jury: local art professionals
- Prizes aim to enable artists to improve through local workshops

3 Best Young Artist (15–19 years)
Sponsored by MCB
- Jury: local art professionals
- Prizes aim to help young artists who are interested in a deeper exploration of the visual arts, through a tailormade workshop for portfolio preparation

Special prizes
- Medine Best Sculpture/ Installation/ Ceramics
- AfricaTech Holding Best Street Art
- Quantum Insurance Best Photography
- Maurice Giraud Prize for Best Painting
- Artspace Best Portrait

Our sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our partner and sponsors for their trust and their generous support. Through their commitment to this project, they celebrate our artists and help to raise awareness of our natural environment.

partner

logo Caudan Arts Center

principal sponsors

logo MCB
logo CIM Finance
logo Sunny

other sponsors

logo Medine