‘We are meant to shine, like children do’
A painting exhibition aimed at children opens in Limassol this week
Kidstuff, an art exhibition by Evi Haraki Mahera, opens in Limassol this week with works that are specifically created for children and inspire and enlighten tots and adults alike. The artworks are luminous, cheerful, full of life and perfect decoration for provoking smiles. The artist describes her work as: “artworks to lighten their space, to colour their days, to reflect their love and innocence.”
I first saw Evi’s work at Mamatoto, a wonderful shop for expectant mothers and babies in Limassol, and soon returned to buy one for my niece’s christening. Coincidentally, Evi first began painting for children when she made a painting for her godson and realised what kind of reactions resulted from children and adults. The paintings are bright, and the most striking aspect is the colours she uses in their “pure, unsaturated state.” Evi creates texture with colour and chooses simple compositions that soothe both children and adults. Paintings come in a variety of shapes and sizes – the canvases are square, rectangular, circular, small and large.
Evi worked as a professional lawyer and youth counselor for many years, eventually turning to her original love – art. She is currently pursuing a degree in fine art from the Open College of the Arts in the UK. Her devotion to art is refreshing and pure. Evi simply couldn’t stay away from it. She also creates “adult” works, which also have a strong animation aspect but deal with a much darker content.
The artist quotes nature as her first and greatest inspiration. She seeks to reacquaint viewers with childhood, innocence and freedom, with her paintings coloured with naivety and hope. Often pictures of families, love and simple human relationships appear in the paintings as a reminder and hopeful guide. She does not set out to project a message, rather she seeks to reconnect and reawaken viewers with the absolute positivity that each child is born with. The artist hopes that her work will act as a stimulus for children who are growing up in a fear-oriented society to seek a positive outlook and approach to their development. She believes that art can make the world a more joyous place.
Paintings are filled with rainbows, balloons, the sun and the moon and happy looking humans. Some characters are in total free-fall, communicating the sense of freedom to children.
More abstract paintings may feature a heart, stars, or a glitter filled rainbow. Each colour possesses healing properties and the artist hopes that subconsciously the viewers will receive some of this. All paintings have a blissful quality but what is most inspiring about them is that they seem simply happy and devoid of any ulterior motives.
Looking at the paintings you feel like Evi is on to something, that raising her child gave her the necessary tools to embark on this project. I find this artwork a positive alternative to the conventional methods and surroundings a child normally absorbs. The works may inspire a child in the same way that the incredible children’s books The Giving Tree, Cloud Boy, and the Olivia books do, all of which project values of kindness, creativity, imagination and individuality. By providing these as a permanent landscape for children, you feel like you are giving them an educational tool for the future, a license for the imagination to run free, and a future love for art.
Kidstuff
An art exhibition for children by Evi Haraki Mahera. May 15-June 15. PizzaExpress (Columbia) in Limassol. Tel: 25 318709. Opening hours: 12noon-12midnight.
