En Famille 8

Location

Country: France
City: Paris
Place: British Embassy

The figures in the En Famille series are drawn from a mid-19th century album of photographs that are thought to have been taken by a member of a wealthy, aristocratic ‘Sugar Baron’ family in Mauritius documenting their household. Unlike the typical photographic conventions of the time which were predominantly ethnographic, administrative, or aristocratic portraiture, these photographs show an intimacy in depicting the servants of the house. 

Each image is set against a background of pools of blue, orange or green tones, and takes a jewellery tray as its support. These trays belonged to the artist’s great aunt who was a jeweller in Mauritius, and would stack the trays and use them for displaying her wares. Bayjoo’s intent is to present these subjects about whom virtually nothing is known, as both ghostly and jewel-like.

Working across painting, video, photography, performance and installation, Bayjoo’s research-based practice investigates the social, political and historical landscapes central to Mauritian cultural identity and the wider Indian Ocean region.

Shiraz Bayjoo was born in Mauritius and studied at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (1998–2001). He was artist-in-residence at the Whitechapel Gallery in 2011, and has exhibited since 2001, including at Tate Britain and the Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva). In 2014, he was the recipient of a Gasworks Fellowship and UK Arts Council Grant for the Arts. He lives and works between London and Mauritius.

Places

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

acrylic (paint), resin, wood, mixed media (art object), acrylic painting, photographic transfer

Artist

Shiraz Bayjoo (1980 - )

Title

En Famille 8

Date

2015

Medium

Acrylic, resin and photographic transfer on wood

Dimensions

height: 47.5 cm, width: 30.5 cm, depth: 2.2 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Ed Cross Fine Art, March 2018

GAC number

18758/8