VICTORIA, Seychelles — Thirty years of affection link Réunionnais artist Fabrice Baixes, better known as Fatch, to Seychelles. The renowned photographer and sculptor of miniature scenes returned to Mahé to lead an artistic residency at the Alliance Française des Seychelles from October 4 to 11, 2025.
The project, titled Héritage Sesel — Sculpture en miniature, brought together young people and adults in a collaborative exercise in clay sculpture, recreating emblematic scenes of Seychellois life: fishing, agriculture, cuisine, traditional housing and nature.
Fatch first came to Seychelles in 1995, almost by chance, to photograph the Carnaval Créole. He has returned regularly ever since, exhibiting his portraits and collaborating with the Alliance Française. In 2018, he led the Granmoun La Digue project in partnership with the Seychelles Institute of Arts and Design, photographing descendants of old Réunionnais families settled on La Digue since 1730. During the 2020 pandemic, he turned to miniature sculpture, a discipline he has since taught to children and young people in Réunion.
At the end of the residency, a collective exhibition titled Les Seychelles en miniature was inaugurated at the Alliance Française, showcasing the work created during the week and leaving a living artistic heritage in the country that young participants can continue to enrich.
