PEM: The Mauritian Sculptor Who Turns Thrown-Away Wood into Art
For over 50 years, Port Louis artist Philippe Edwin Marie has transformed discarded roots and driftwood into sculptures sold at Caudan Waterfront.
Where most people see a piece of rubbish, Philippe Edwin Marie sees a work of art waiting to be born. Known across Mauritius simply as PEM, this self-taught sculptor has spent more than half a century turning abandoned roots and cast-off timber into emotionally charged wooden sculptures that stop passers-by in their tracks.
His story begins in 1973. At the time, PEM was working as a mason and carpenter to make ends meet. One day, he picked up a discarded root from the ground and decided to bring it home. He took a full day off work to carve it, and when he showed the result to his friends the next morning, they told him it looked like Nelson Mandela. Shortly after, a stranger asked whether he would sell it. PEM agreed, accepting Rs 25 for the piece.
To put that in context, he was earning just Rs 4.50 per day as a labourer at the time. That single sale was enough to buy a week of rations and a trip to the cinema. It was also enough to change the course of his life.
From that moment, the passion never left him. Decades on, PEM can be found at Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, stationed beside the entrance to the Le Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, displaying his sculptures to anyone who walks by. The Caudan Waterfront is a popular commercial and cultural hub on the Port Louis harbour front, visited daily by locals, office workers and tourists alike, making it a fitting stage for his work.
For PEM, every piece of wood discarded by someone else holds hidden potential. His philosophy is simple and striking: what others throw away and earn a fine for littering, he picks up and turns into income. It is a mindset that has sustained him through five decades of creative work without a single formal art school training to his name.
His sculptures draw on natural forms, allowing the grain, shape and texture of each piece of wood to guide what it becomes. The result is work that feels organic, unforced and deeply personal.
What this means is that PEM represents a strand of Mauritian cultural life that rarely makes headlines but carries real significance. Self-taught artisans and street-level artists form part of the island's creative identity, yet they often work without institutional support, gallery representation or formal recognition. PEM's story is a reminder that some of the most enduring art in Mauritius is made not in studios, but on roadsides and in back yards, from materials everyone else has given up on.
Source: ION News
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is PEM the Mauritian sculptor?β
PEM is the nickname of Philippe Edwin Marie, a self-taught Mauritian artist who has been carving sculptures from discarded wood and roots since 1973. He displays and sells his work at Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, beside the entrance to the Le Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel.
Where can you find PEM's sculptures in Mauritius?β
PEM exhibits his wooden sculptures at Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, a popular harbour-front commercial and cultural complex. He sets up near the entrance of the Le Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, where locals and tourists can view and purchase his work.
How did PEM start sculpting wood in Mauritius?β
PEM began sculpting in 1973 after picking up a discarded root while working as a mason and carpenter. He carved it at home, and a stranger offered to buy it for Rs 25, a significant sum at a time when he earned just Rs 4.50 per day. That first sale launched his lifelong passion for woodcraft.
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