Following a call for proposals on the topic of research and production, an international panel selected projects submitted by thirty artists from Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, India and Australia.

BORDERLINE[S] – the second edition of an art exhibition first held in March 2016 by cultural and artistic platform THE THIRD DOT – will host thirty local and regional artists in Port-Louis’ emblematic Granary building from the 12th to the 27th of April. The venue will be transformed into a pop-up Art Museum that will house close to one hundred works of art in nine different media, including painting, photography, sculpture, artistic performance and film.

12^th to 27^th April 2019

The Granary Building, Port-Louis, Mauritius

10am to 5pm Monday to Friday

10am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday

BORDERLINE[S] focuses on the context in which artists from the Indian Ocean and the coastal areas around it produce and experience contemporary art. The art world has been affected by major upheavals in the past several decades, and societies in Africa and Asia have had to grapple with rapid change (including human displacement and migration, economic development, epidemics, climate change, regime change, explosive population growth and rampant urbanisation). These changes, superimposed onto the region’s colonial past, are prompting the creative community to develop ever more innovative and interrogative practices.

Hybridisation creates a gap in which it’s possible to live and evolve. It allows us to exist between the lines, or, as Edward Said explains in Orientalism, in a space where dialogue adds value and unity defines the realms in which we want to live, today and in the future. The Indian Ocean, which is home to so many different cultures, offers opportunities to investigate the legacies of the past, the creative force of the present and the hopes we nurture for the futures that we are choosing today.

SPONSORS

THE THIRD DOT is grateful to its sponsors for their partnership on this second edition of BORDERLINE[S]. Their generous backing has made it possible to support individual artists and to help those from the region travel to Mauritius. A number of talks, workshops and roundtables will also be held throughout the duration of the exhibition.

In keeping with its mission to “Create a brighter future for all”, the IBL Group is partnering with BORDERLINE[S] once again. As a Group built around a Mauritian core, this partnership is part of IBL’s ongoing commitment to support Mauritian arts and culture. Arnaud Lagesse, CEO of the IBL Group, is eager to see this year’s artwork. “This project is an exceptional platform for Mauritian artists. It enables artistic worlds to be shared based on a theme that is both historical and contemporary. We are delighted to see that the project has grown in scope and now includes work by artists from the wider region.”

The BMW Group has sponsored cultural events for nearly 50 years. It currently funds more than 100 projects around the world, helping to disseminate knowledge and raise awareness of the arts. The projects have two key values in common: aesthetics and innovation. “Our sponsorship demonstrates our ongoing support for creativity and our desire to encourage art in Mauritius and the region as an original and specific medium,” explains Eric Leal, CEO of BMW – Mauritius.

Alain Law Min, CEO of MCB Ltd., states that “MCB is pleased to once again be associated with BORDERLINE[S], in which local and regional talent enjoy pride of place. The timing is opportune in that we have recently launched Success Beyond Numbers, MCB’s corporate sustainability manifesto, a fundamental pillar of which is the promotion of culture and the arts. Culture is an indicator of a country’s dynamism, quality of life and social health, while art has a crucial role to play in our country’s development and that of future generations. As a cultural melting pot, Mauritius has the potential to become a cultural hub for the region. Indeed, the Blue Penny Museum recently hosted an exhibition on Picasso, allowing Mauritians to discover this world-famous artist. BORDERLINE[S] is another step towards Mauritius’ evolution into a cultural center – a goal that MCB supports and wishes to encourage.”

JUDGING PANEL

Julie Crenn – PhD in History of Art, art critic (AICA) and independent curator

Nirmal Hurry – Artist and Senior Lecturer at the School of Fine Arts, Mahatma Gandhi Institute

Bernard Leveneur – Director of the Léon Dierx Museum – Regional Council of Réunion

Laetitia Lor – Artist, Co-founder of THE THIRD DOT platform and creator of BORDERLINE[S]

Alicia Maurel – Curator, Co-founder of THE THIRD DOT platform and creator of BORDERLINE[S]

ARTISTS

FROM MAURITIUS: Audrey Albert – Nirveda Alleck – Simon Back – Maïti Chagny – Salim Currimjee – Avilla Damar – Stephanie Desvaux – Djuneid Dulloo – Armand Gachet – Jurgen Eric aka Gun – Sultana Haukim – Krishna Luchoomun – Elizabeth Marcy Chelin – Nishal Purbhoo – Julian Ratinon – Christophe Rey – Alexandre Sanchini – Thomoo Kavinash – Salman Toorawa – Kim Yip Tong

FROM THE REGION: Smitha Cariappa (India) – Jacques Charoux (Australia) – Haji Mussa Chilong (Tanzania) – Mathilde Fossy (Réunion) – Peterson Kamwathi (Kenya) – KMVH (Réunion) – Pierrot Men (Madagascar) – Rose Mudge (South Africa) – Leila Payet (Réunion) – Sitaara Stodel (South Africa)

THE THIRD DOT

A consultancy and communications platform created by Alicia Maurel and Laetitia Lor in 2015, THE THIRD DOT’s mission is to create and promote cross-cultural art and fine craft projects in Mauritius, the Indian Ocean and its coastlines, and the rest of the world. From their base in Mauritius and drawing on their awareness of contemporary culture’s constant evolution, the founders reflect on hybridity, the diversity of artistic movements, and the pluralistic art produced in and around the Indian Ocean. They work to ensure that this art is recognized in the region and internationally, and seek safeguard its future, which will only exist if joint efforts are made.

For more information, please contact:

THE THIRD DOT

57295727 | 52518158

alicia@thethirddot.net | laetitia@thethirddot.net