Visit the garden of artist Michael Adams on Mahé Island, Seychelles
Learn about the artistic practice of Michael Adams, who drew inspiration from the...
Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: The southwest of the island Mahé is where you'll find the garden of artist Michael Adams, the Seychelles' most prominent painter. Often referred to as the Gaugin of the Seychelles, Michael Adams's paintings adorn buildings, phone cards, travel guidebooks and gallery walls around the world. Like Gaugin, Michael Adams is fascinated by the tropics. He gets his inspiration from the apparent chaos inherent in nature. His brush strokes are reminiscent of a storm - wild, untamed and free-flowing.
His lines pulsate with life and his palette glows luminous, with bits of gold shining through his paintings time and again. Indeed, it's hard to categorize his works in terms of any recognized style, and he couldn't care less. He prefers to forge his own path and has tucked himself away in a tropical jungle, which he seldom leaves, and then only out of necessity. Michael Adams has painted hundreds of pictures of the Seychelles and its people, regularly returning to treasured imagery and themes and rediscovering their magic.
MICHAEL ADAMS: "I paint this part of my jungle which is part of my garden, but I like chaos. Chaos is like creative darkness for me. It's very important. If you follow one leaf all the way down to the ground you can find out where it comes from and where it ends up. This is what I like. Also, we, living in concrete in Europe, need jungle to survive because it gives us peace of mind; nature gives you peace of mind."
NARRATOR: Michael Adams has found the ideal location to live and work in, removed from the rest of the world.
ADAMS: "The house is probably about 230 years old. I came here in 1972 and this is the first house I rented in Seychelles. It was perfect for me because of the vegetation which was not like this but it was at least bush, banana trees and the noise of the birds and everything."
NARRATOR: Michael Adams' garden is his most cherished masterpiece. Here, he fills himself with images and ideas he then brings to the canvas. All the vegetation to be seen was planted by the artist himself. Adams loves whiling away the afternoon hours at the side of wife Heather whenever work permits, which, as one might imagine, is all too seldom. For Michael Adams is very much a celebrity, meaning that days at the studio usually include visits from art lovers from around the world.
The majority of the artist's earnings come from the silkscreen prints he sells, with Heather tending to the financial and administration end of things at their gallery. Only rarely does Adams part with an original painting, likening such an act to a father selling his children. Needless to say, very few of his works are available on the art market.
Born in Malaysia in 1937, Michael Adams grew up in Tanzania and London. So many things and a life of experiences influence his work. However, he can't create at all without chaos surrounding him, which prevails as much in his studio as it does in the jungle. Absolutely no one is allowed to follow him into his studio except for his cats, for they too are a part of Adams' organic chaos.
Painter Michael Adams couldn't have picked a better place to pursue his heart's desires. It's a place of energy, inspiration, chaos and absolute freedom.
His lines pulsate with life and his palette glows luminous, with bits of gold shining through his paintings time and again. Indeed, it's hard to categorize his works in terms of any recognized style, and he couldn't care less. He prefers to forge his own path and has tucked himself away in a tropical jungle, which he seldom leaves, and then only out of necessity. Michael Adams has painted hundreds of pictures of the Seychelles and its people, regularly returning to treasured imagery and themes and rediscovering their magic.
MICHAEL ADAMS: "I paint this part of my jungle which is part of my garden, but I like chaos. Chaos is like creative darkness for me. It's very important. If you follow one leaf all the way down to the ground you can find out where it comes from and where it ends up. This is what I like. Also, we, living in concrete in Europe, need jungle to survive because it gives us peace of mind; nature gives you peace of mind."
NARRATOR: Michael Adams has found the ideal location to live and work in, removed from the rest of the world.
ADAMS: "The house is probably about 230 years old. I came here in 1972 and this is the first house I rented in Seychelles. It was perfect for me because of the vegetation which was not like this but it was at least bush, banana trees and the noise of the birds and everything."
NARRATOR: Michael Adams' garden is his most cherished masterpiece. Here, he fills himself with images and ideas he then brings to the canvas. All the vegetation to be seen was planted by the artist himself. Adams loves whiling away the afternoon hours at the side of wife Heather whenever work permits, which, as one might imagine, is all too seldom. For Michael Adams is very much a celebrity, meaning that days at the studio usually include visits from art lovers from around the world.
The majority of the artist's earnings come from the silkscreen prints he sells, with Heather tending to the financial and administration end of things at their gallery. Only rarely does Adams part with an original painting, likening such an act to a father selling his children. Needless to say, very few of his works are available on the art market.
Born in Malaysia in 1937, Michael Adams grew up in Tanzania and London. So many things and a life of experiences influence his work. However, he can't create at all without chaos surrounding him, which prevails as much in his studio as it does in the jungle. Absolutely no one is allowed to follow him into his studio except for his cats, for they too are a part of Adams' organic chaos.
Painter Michael Adams couldn't have picked a better place to pursue his heart's desires. It's a place of energy, inspiration, chaos and absolute freedom.