Celebrating Womanhood

After falling in love with India during her travel across the country, Peruvian artist Rocio Perez exhibits her works on Indian womanhood
Rocio Perez
Rocio Perez

KOCHI: For Rocio Perez, India is a lucky charm. Her life has been perfect since she set foot in the country. Rocio Perez, an artist from Peru has fallen in love with India so much so that she decided to exhibit her paintings of women of India. Her works were displayed at ‘Red Dot’, an exhibition of paintings organised by Prussian Blue Art Hub, with an ensemble of 20 woman artists from all over the country, last week at Durbar Hall. 

During her journey across India, she has completed nine murals including one in Fort Kochi. If you ask Rocio about her favourite work she says, “My favourite? All of them. Because when you finish a painting and sign it, you will love it  dearly.”

Her paintings are mostly made using recycled materials. For instance, she used rubber sheets as a canvas for a few of her works. She found them on her visit to rubber factories in Kudayathur. Rocio’s paintings are also travel-friendly.  “You can roll them and take home. You can put a frame or leave them  just as they are because that looks different,” she said. Rocio landed in India for the first time in 2017. “It was like a signal from god. Just like that, I decided to come to India. I didn’t even have enough money to get tickets,” she said. She started selling her paintings to earn enough money.

However, something magical transpired. “A friend called me and asked me if I want to come to India to work. I said yes. That was crazy and that’s how I landed in the country,” Rocio said. Starting from Kochi, she has been to different parts of India including Manali, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Munnar, Madurai and Kudayathur.

The mural artist also volunteered as an art trainee at the only Government School of Bhouniyada, a small village in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Describing the village, she said, “The village had 12 families and literally had one little store!”Language has never been a barrier for the artist, who initially communicated with students in sign language. “We made a mural together about the place. I designed it, and the students painted it. It was a very good experience,” she said.

Suresh T R, the curator of the exhibition and founder of Prussian Art Hub in Kochi, met Rocio six months ago at a cafe. “Rocio taught my friend’s daughter in Peru. After coming to India, she asked me if an art exhibition was possible in Kochi and it led us to this exhibition. In the first meeting, she showed me her works of Indian women” he said. Rocio exhibited 13 of her paintings at the exhibition.

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