Arts and Cultural Management (M.A.): Akshay Seebaluck - Sketchbook in his luggage

Akshay Seebaluck stands in the middle of a group of Afghan boys and men. He is holding his sketchbook and draws. He always has the notebook with him when traveling. "I draw inspiration for my art from my encounters with people, social life and political events," says the painter. He traveled through Afghanistan for one of his art projects. He is also writing his Master's thesis for the part-time programme Arts and Cultural Management (M.A.) at Leuphana Professional School about this excursion: "I was interested in visiting Afghanistan to witness the transformational change in the art and culture field, and also experience Afghanistan’s culture remembering its rich history," explains the artist. Akshay Seebaluck found an environment characterised by the rules of the Taliban, but in which people also create space for their own needs, for example with public schools where women learn to read, language schools or galleries that are open to everyone. "Nevertheless, there is hardly any art scene left in Afghanistan, artists are struggling to survive after the foreign troops withdrawal," reports the painter. Akshay Seebaluck draws and paints people and landscapes - his work often features handwriting: "I tell stories with my pictures, I put my thoughts and emotions on canvas," says Akshay Seebaluck. The Mauritian is influenced by the artists of Post-Impressionism and Fauvism as well as by the Indian village atmosphere where he studied. He completed his Bachelor in Fine Arts and Master in Painting at Khairagarh University in India. But his academic training is not yet complete. "I am a professional artist who makes a living from my art. But without business knowledge, the concept is not stable. As a painter, you can't just paint. You need to know a lot about marketing, digital aspects and the cultural sector," says Akshay Seebaluck. He searched the world for suitable cultural management study programmes that address both cultural organisation and cultural financing.

"The programme at Leuphana is exceptional. I haven't found it like this anywhere else," says Akshay. The Master's candidate benefits from the global network of international students: "I have learnt about many exciting projects and perspectives." The marketing elements of his degree programme in particular help him in his work at his father's gallery. Chayetan Seebaluck is himself a well-known artist in Mauritius. "I have my own studio in the art gallery, but I also take care of financial matters and marketing. The content from the degree programme helps me a lot in managing the art gallery and writing applications for exhibitions and grants," says Akshay Seebaluck.With the Arts and Cultural Management (M.A.) programme, the Professional School and the Goethe-Institut have been offering a new type of programme in the field of cultural management since 2018, which trains cultural professionals from all over the world to deal with transformation processes in the cultural sector as an English-language, part-time distance learning course. The core content of the programme is international cultural management combined with cultural studies and economics.Akshay Seebaluck has exhibited in India, Afghanistan  and Mauritius, among other places. In Europe, his works have been shown in Paris, Spain and Monaco. "There is not much of an art scene in Mauritius. Studying in Germany opened new doors for me. The scene there is very lively," says Akshay Seebaluck. The painter takes on many serious and topical themes in his work. His next trip will take him to Ukraine: "I want to document and capture the images of war with my art."