LEON RADEGONDE

Leon Radegonde was born in Seychelles in 1950.
After qualifying as a teacher Radegonde initially taught French, however he later abandoned this career path and committed himself to making fine art in a full time capacity, since when he has established himself as Seychelles’ foremost modernist artist, creating series works under generic banners such as ‘squares’, ‘tapestries’ and ‘totems’. Radegonde’s processes involve submitting (often found) materials to stress and degradation – inclusive of internment in the soil for extended periods. The artist uses solvents, oils and industrial chemicals alongside the time-based effect of rust, however he rejects the use of paint, famously declaring that “colour is a parasite”. His limited palette works, typically utilising sienna and ochres, are often stitched or nailed/pinned, with wood and hessian, the favoured grounds.

Leon Radegonde is enthusiastically collected in Seychelles and Europe – specifically Switzerland, France, Germany and England. His importance is also recognised through inclusion in collections in South Africa, U.S.A, and Japan. He represented Seychelles at the Venice Biennale in 2015 and 2017.