Dodos at the mouth of Ruisseau du Pouce - 2024 There is a creature that has lived in my studio for over twenty years. It has never made a sound. It has waddled across rivers, hidden in jungles, stood at the foot of mountains, and crossed a river in the manner of four famous musicians on a London street. It has nested, wandered, raised its young, and gone about its life with the unhurried confidence of something that has never been told it should not exist. The dodo, of course

There is a romantic idea that talent alone is what makes an artist. That some people are simply “gifted,” and that this gift naturally leads to meaningful, lasting work. It is a comforting belief but it is also misleading. Talent may open a door, but it is consistency that allows an artist to walk through it, again and again, over a lifetime. The reality is simple: without consistency, talent fades into intention. Ideas remain unfinished. Styles remain undeveloped. And potent

Staying true to yourself in art is one of the most difficult challenges an artist will ever face. It is not a single decision you make once, but a personal choice you must repeat, again and again, every time you stand in front of a blank canvas or a difficulty that life throughs at you. In my case, I have to take in consideration my mental health which is sometimes an obstacle in my artistic life. With bipolar disorder, taking a decision is always a real challenge. So, how t

Before the Canvas, sketching is often the Birth of a Painting, it begins somewhere quieter ; on a simple sheet of paper, in a sketchbook, or even on the corner of a page. These first marks are not meant to impress. They are not meant to be shown. They are simply there to catch something fragile: an idea. For me, sketching is an essential part of the creative process. It is where the painting is born, long before colours, textures, and final decisions take shape. In these earl

I have always believed that painting is a way of transforming darkness into light. My work—what I call the Zafer style —was born from that need. A need to take what is heavy, complex, sometimes painful, and turn it into something vibrant, colourful, almost joyful. Not to deny reality, but to reshape it and to breathe hope into it. And yet, to be an artist in Mauritius is to constantly face a paradox. We live on an island of extraordinary beauty. The light here is unique. The

Every painting I create begins as a private conversation. Its an intimate exchange between the canvas and myself. But the moment a finished work is placed before a viewer, something remarkable happens: that private dialogue becomes shared. A new voice enters the exchange, a new set of eyes brings new interpretations and suddenly, the artwork no longer belongs to me. It becomes a bridge between two imaginations. This is why communication in my paintings is not just important,