Let ‘local and diverse’ be your mantra

KOCHI: The past year has been a harbinger of healthier lifestyles, sustainable decor and mindful living. Banking on the same, ‘Karuna and Maya’, a three-day exhibition at Seaside Homestay near Shakhumukham beach which concluded on Tuesday, chose to showcase art, slow lifestyle and music. Conceptualised by Maya Gomez, an architect and her friend Nirmala Karuna, a missionary worker, the exhibition features individual art prints and sustainable décor options for your homes such as natural wood planters and jute curtains.

While Karuna loves crafts and working with organic materials, Maya has explored the artist in her through art prints of her original watercolour paintings. “Three years ago I refreshed my love for art and started experimenting with different mediums. The spiral of the conch ‘Shangu’ of Thiruvananthapuram’s Shankhumukham beach has been used as a motif in an attempt to bind together the various elements of the city which include boats, paddy fields and buildings,” says Maya.

Maya’s work also delves into Kerala as a whole. One such is  Poonthottam’ which comprises flowers that are traditionally used during Onam and are commonly found in gardens and another is ‘Malayali Kitchen’ which features traditional cooking utensils used in Kerala households. “I had also displayed watercolour-based works that I did during the Covid-19 lockdown. Some of my artworks had also been featured on the 2021 desktop calendars,” she says.

Karuna’s creative bone was evident from the natural home-based decors and furnishings. The craftswoman has showcased hand-crafted jute curtains, ceiling drapes embellished with terracotta beads, bells and embroidery lacework. The exhibition also included live performances by popular city-based classic rock band Souljam, acoustic folk-rock by Dr Biju John and acoustic band The BFlat by Jilu George, an IT engineer turned musician and Robins, an ex-techie.