KOCHI : Walking into Bounce Fitness Studio at Panampilly Nagar in Kochi, one can see people of various age groups sweating it out with all sorts of workouts: stretches, jogging, pilates, ab toning, dumbbell rows, bench presses, and more. What, however, stands out is a space for some creative ‘workout’ — a mini art gallery.
Those who take breaks can be seen sipping water and glancing at framed works of art kept on the walls. Most of them don’t know the artworks are done by their coach and the gym’s owner Alexander V S.
For years, Alexander’s sketches, paintings and sculptures were stowed away in his house, seen only by a few of his friends. While setting up the fitness studio, however, Alexander left a space that could one day turn into a dream art gallery.
“After the pandemic crisis, I realised that art should be displayed, instead of stashing them in a room in my house,” he says. “Art can stimulate people’s imagination. If the music played in fitness studios can transform the energy of the space altogether, so can the framed artworks.”
A workout space need not always be boisterous, adds Alexander, who has International Sports Science Certification. “It’s about shifting perceptions, changing the way people feel or believe they should feel while in a fitness studio,” he says.
The majority of his artworks, either done in charcoal or oil pastels, have a human element. A man in agony, a child searching for hope, and a feminine character all exhausted from the pain, are a few of the subjects hanging on the wall.
“I was influenced a lot by human anatomy,” says Alexander. “The artworks of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci have had a great impact on me. I used to borrow books from an artist who lived near my house, and they inspired me to try a hand at art.”
Some of the paintings reflect man’s wanton destruction of Mother Nature, and how she tries to revive and get past the agony by herself. The frame with a feminine subject and a man in the crucifixion posture is an example of human and nature interaction.
Besides what’s being projected, the painting has a lot going on amid the chaos. Man is clearly in pain, and nature is merging with humankind.“Nature is divine,” says Alexander. “Here, the man portrayed represents the people in general who exploit and destroy nature and thereby cause harm to themselves. Meanwhile, nature always tries to nurture humankind. At the end of the day, only nature can heal us. So here nature is going all out to heal the man who hurt her.”
Another painting that depicts agony and hope is still on an easel, yet to find a place on the wall. The charcoal-dominated artwork depicts Mother Nature as a ragged and exhaust-ed ‘young woman’. She looks weary and droopy, yet attempts to bloom and break free.
“Isn’t that what has been happening? We humans have been gruesome to Mother Nature. Yet, hope springs eternal,” says Alexander. “Greens and flowers are blooming and embracing her body. The hummingbird on the side is a sign of hope and revival. But, the bird also symbolises humans who suck the nectar of nature.”
The framed pictures not only liven up the space, but Alexander believes that art can also transport one to a better place. “Glancing at the paintings helps one not to think too much about themselves. We are present, at least for that moment,” he says.
In an attempt to smash the misconception that ‘fitness freaks’ or ‘body-builders’ lack a creative side, Alexander also encourages members of his fitness studio to try wielding the painting brush, and display their works of art at his ‘dream gallery’.