Shiraz Bayjoo
“My mother and Uncle Mike came to Britain from Mauritius in the early 70’s to join the NHS as nurses, the little hospital in Bexhill on-sea was such a big part of our lives as far as I can remember. I like to think they would have enjoyed seeing these watercolours, reminding them of their own island, and in our minds not so far away. This is in part a small homage to them and the countless other NHS staff who have devoted their lives to the health of others.”
These words are from artist Shiraz Bayjoo, talking about his donation to the #100NHSRooms project. Bayjoo is a London-based artist originally from Mauritius, whose practice spans painting, photography, and video. This series ‘Islands Away’ feature swirling blues, greens and yellows surrounding prints of a variety of images, photographs and sketches. The last queen of Madagascar, Dugongs, a missionary ship, the Red Rail (which was a walking bird, the lesser known cousin to the Dodo of Mauritius, which was sadly last scene in the 19th Century) and the Blue Marlin fish (which was a symbol of resilience and strength for fishing communities in the Indian ocean) can all be found on their own A4 island.
Shiraz Bayjoo, Islands Away 1-6 – Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar, Magician, Dugong, Blue Marlin, Missionary Ship, Rambling Bird the Red Rail, 2020, Inkjet print and watercolour on paper
Shiraz Bayjoo Islands Away 3-6 installed in the Royal London Hospital Ward 12F staffroom
Shiraz Bayjoo studied at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. Bayjoo was Artist in Residence at Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK during 2011. His recent solo exhibitions include ‘Rome being the centre’, Operativa Arte, Rome, 2016, ‘A land of extraordinary quarantines’, Greenlease Gallery, USA, 2015, and ‘Ile-de-France’ residency and exhibition at the Institute for International Visual Arts (Iniva), UK, 2015, and 198 Gallery, UK, 2015. Group exhibitions include ‘Homelands’, Artsadmin, 2015, ‘Illuminating Cultures’, Tate Britain, 2010, and New Contemporaries, 2001. A recent public commission was a major film work, Pran Kouraz (take courage), for ArtNight 2019.
