Marketing and selling the arts beyond Seychelles - 'Noular Sesel' the new platform for Seychellois artists

The new platform is aiming to help all Seychellois artists practicing different art forms to seek marketing and sales opportunities for their work both locally and internationally. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

(Seychelles News Agency) - To promote and market the various art forms in Seychelles - that is mission of the archipelago's first arts agency, ‘Noular Sesel’ (Seychelles Arts) that was officially launched on Friday, at the “Carrefour des Arts” in the Seychelles capital of Victoria.

The new platform is aiming to help all Seychellois artists practicing different art forms to seek marketing and sales opportunities for their work both locally and internationally.

In an interview with SNA, the brain behind this new venture, Seychellois artist Colbert Nourrice, who is also the Director of ‘Noular Sesel’ said the agency aims to “unite all artists in Seychelles, help them in promoting their work as well as give value and due recognition to their work.”

“Normally, what happens is that the association for visual arts will do an exhibition solely for visual artists or the musician association will target the performers or poets only. The difference is that ‘Noular Sesel’ will bring everybody onboard as part of the team. You don’t need to register or become a member. Contributions will be made accordingly whenever an event is organized which will feature the artist,” explains Nourrice.

With over 30 years of experience as an artist, Colbert Nourrice specializes in visual arts, painting with acrylic on canvas. He describes his paintings as "pieces of narratives which are symbolic and decorative."

However, for the past four years Nourrice who is also an arts teacher at the Seychelles International School (a private institution offering primary and secondary education) has expanded his work and ideas to include abstract paintings which incorporate mix media such as wood shavings, cement and gravel to add depth and texture to the paintings.          

The artistic agency wants to promote all types of arts practiced in Seychelles such as paintings, sculpting, photography, music, drama, poems, performance and craftwork.

However, Nourrice points out that to begin with the agency will focus on “the more popular arts including visual arts, photography, music, poetry and a bit of drama”.

He claims that sometimes the lack of marketing and proper promotion fail to bring out all the potential and benefits that exist in all the forms of arts and ‘Noular Sesel’ wants to help with better coordination and marketing activities, all the while taking into account the quality of the works.    

“The Agency is not necessarily there just to organize exhibitions and shows but we can also facilitate the organization of such events and guide the artist, the writer, the musician, the poet you name it in the right direction, to the various experts for help in realizing their project. In other words we can be the bridge that links the artists to the promoter, the organizers etc…” explains Nourrice.     

Whereas for talented young aspiring artists in all the forms of arts who for one reason or another have put aside their art, ‘Noular Sesel’ aims to help by offering advice and guidance for their professional development and progression at the same time promoting arts education among the youths.

Apart from supporting the growth and development of all the arts locally, ‘Noular Sesel’ wants to further expose Seychelles arts beyond the shores of the Indian Ocean archipelago by working together with qualified partners and sponsors worldwide.

“We want also to link with regional and international organizations, institutions or fellow artists abroad that deal with the arts. We would like to expose our work a bit more. Of course it’s not new, some of us (artists) have already done that but it’s something extra for Seychelles arts,” says Nourrice.

The Agency also plans to work with tourism establishments across the country to further market the various art forms amongst tourists.

‘Noular Sesel’ plans to launch its website soon which it says will further expose Seychelles arts around the globe. 

“The National Arts Council and the association of arts enthusiasts alone are not enough to promote the arts in Seychelles. So, ‘Noular Sesel’ wants to compliment some of the work that are being done already at the same time bring new ideas and above all bring everybody together,” concluded Nourrice who has spent the past four years nurturing the idea of creating an artistic agency. 

According to Nourrice, it is estimated that there are over 2000 people in Seychelles practicing some form of arts and according to a survey done a while back, there are about 200 artists in Seychelles who specialize in visual arts.