Tjaša Iris, NUTS, 2, 2023, 120 x 160 cm

21 JUNE - 22 DECEMBER 2026

A NEW GALLERY IN MAURITIUS LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EXHIBITION WITH INTERNATIONAL ARTIST TJAŠA IRIS

Mauritius welcomes a new contemporary art gallery.

Founded in May 2026, Indian Ocean Contemporary was established with the ambition of promoting artists from the countries of the Indian Ocean region, as well as international artists who have chosen this part of the world as a place to live and create. On Saturday, 21 June 2026, at 8:00 PM, the gallery will present its inaugural online exhibition dedicated to the international artist Tjaša Iris.

Born in Kranj, Slovenia, as Tjaša Demšar, the artist grew up in a small pre-Alpine village before embarking on an international artistic journey. She began her studies in Florence, Italy, at the Fortman Studios, continued her education in the United Kingdom, and later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Minerva Academy in Groningen, the Netherlands.

After completing her studies, she lived in Venice for nearly ten years, where the first series of Mediterranean gardens and landscapes that would later become a defining feature of her work began to emerge.

The global financial crisis of 2008 marked a decisive turning point in her career. Driven by a desire to explore the wider world, she moved to Hong Kong and later Singapore, where she was invited to participate in an artist residency and present her first solo exhibition in Asia.

Over the following fifteen years, Tjaša Iris lived, worked, and exhibited throughout Southeast Asia. In 2010, she was selected as one of the "New Finds" at Art Singapore, a distinction that opened the door to numerous solo exhibitions across the region.

Her work has been presented at several prestigious institutions, including:

Deeply devoted to color, Tjaša Iris is often described as a colorist. Her artistic practice continues the legacy of Fauvism, Expressionism, the Nabis movement, and the California Colorists.

Through painting and photography, she creates luminous worlds in which gardens, landscapes, and natural forms gradually transform into poetic, imaginary, and at times spiritual realms. Her vibrant colors, bold contrasts, and constantly moving compositions seek to evoke a powerful emotional response in the viewer.

For the artist, art should uplift, inspire, and transmit positive energy.

The exhibition presented by Indian Ocean Contemporary will unfold in several chapters.

The first chapter will feature a selection of gardens and landscapes created between 2014 and 2023, including the renowned Sea Gardens series, initiated in 2019 on the Thai island of Koh Phangan, where the artist created nearly 500 works during the years of global lockdowns.

A second chapter, to be presented later this year, will be dedicated to her Black Sands of Kerala series, created in India between 2024 and 2025, before concluding with her first works inspired by Mauritius.

The exhibition will be accessible from 21 June 2026 at 8:00 PM at:

www.indianoceancontemporary.com

A preview of selected works will be available from 20 June.