Join us for an art opening and exhibition. Colors of Devotion is a public art show featuring four visual artists who share devotion as a theme in their work. Our opening party on Saturday, April 1st at 7:30 PM will be attended by all four featured artists, and includes live acoustic music and free snacks. We are excited to feature renowned Naturopath Dr. Karuna Sabnani, NMD who will give a short talk titled, “Beauty & Art as Essential Nourishment”. The exhibition will continue to be on view during normal business hours for three months.
Devotion is a sweet word that connotes love, loyalty, and enthusiasm. For visual artists, this could mean artworks depicting symbols of devotion (like a beloved deity), an object of devotion like a lover or sacred body of water, actual words/language/art on the topic of devotion, or the process of making art itself. In this case, the work would connote the devotion of the artist through use of symbols, shapes, attention to detail, or the passionate expression of the artist preserved in their own unique style of applying color to a surface.
This is a group show of reverent artists for whom the art making process is an expression or extension of their beliefs and practices. Many types of art will be included, from traditional devotional art with religious associations, to brilliantly-colored geometrical art. Some of these artworks are actual ritual icons that cannot be displayed or sold in shops, they may only be shown in educational venues, temples, or healing centers. So it is a delight to present our work in a venue where healing and self-care is a primary concern.
The group show would include a wide variety of media and aesthetics; from historically-accurate depictions of Hindu and Buddhist deities in pen and ink, motifs influenced by folk and tribal arts and mandalas, to very abstract modern art in the spirit of Hilma Af Klint in watercolors. Rather than curate the works in a sequential line of framed pieces at eye-level, the works will be curated creatively at multiple levels. This will allow the works of the artists to be in dialogue with one another.
Our venue is a lovely multi-use storefront in Oakland’s Laurel district. Vetiver is a spa, salon, and gallery with a retail area filled with personal care products and crafty gifts. It is a safe place to receive healing and therapeutic bodywork. It is a place to receive creative, results-driven treatments, performed by experienced therapists who enjoy their craft. It is a place for learning, growing, teaching, and making art, poetry and all things creative. With our gallery and retail space in front, we will bring art and wellness together in one space in addition to supporting local artisans. Keen on green, they emphasize recycling and upcycling wherever possible, sharing their skills with the community and giving back.
WHO: Artists: Ekabhumi Charles Ellik, Jennifer Mazzucco, Swati Rastogi, Timothy Lynch.
Speaker: Dr. Karuna Sabnani, NMD
Musician: Eric Olson
WHAT: Art opening with live music, homemade snacks, drinks, and a talk on “Beauty & Art As Essential Nourishment”
WHERE: Vetiver: Spa • Salon • Gallery.
3841 Macarthur Blvd. Oakland, CA.
(510) 269-1973.
https://www.vetiveroakland.com/
3841 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA. 94619
WHEN: Opening Party: Saturday, April 1st 7:00 – 10:00 PM.
Exhibition: April 1, 2023 – June 1, 2023 during business hours.
WHY: To raise awareness of the nourishing power of beauty and art as a healing devotional practice. To give collectors an opportunity to buy artwork made devotionally. To have a public gathering and meet like-minded creative people.
HOW: This event and the exhibition is free to the public
Bios of Artists
Ekabhumi is an award-winning poet, author, illustrator, yoga instructor and arts educator with 20 years of international teaching experience. His poetry, prose, and illustrations have been published widely, including his own Bhakti Coloring Book and Shakti Coloring Book, available from Sounds True Press.
A founding faculty member at Living Sanskrit, Ekabhumi is also co-founder of Mystic Art Retreats. His current artwork, available at One Earth Sacred Arts, is based on experiences arising from daily ritual and meditation. He has a unique ability to explain very profound concepts in understandable terms and brings great energy and enthusiasm to all of his teaching.
Jennifer Mazzucco is a nationally published children’s book and editorial freelance illustrator, founder and co-founder of community art centers and non-profit arts organizations on both coasts, as well as an exhibiting artist. Her paintings have been commissioned by private clients and multiple yoga and retreat centers.
As a passionate art educator for 26 years, Jennifer has inspired people of all ages to explore their creativity in the college campus setting, middle-school classroom, in her studio, and beyond. Most recently her curriculum of over 65 Zoom classes was developed during the Pandemic and has served over 150 aspiring artists from all over the world.
For Jennifer art has always served as way to survive and take in the beauty around her. She is currently creating a prolific series of multi-media works that embody her love of and devotion to color and symbolism of the circle + wheel. She is navigating her way through the geometric and abstract art realm in awe of Klint, Houghton, and Kunz.
Timothy Lynch is responsible for planting the seeds for Atha, a Mysore practice space in the east bay in October of 2019. In 2014 he founded Mysore Oakland, a six morning a week Mysore program in California. He guided this thriving community of practitioners for three and a half years. Timothy is humbled and indebted to the people and traditions of india, which have been and continue to be a great source of inspiration, confrontation, and mystery.
Timothy has a degree in fine arts from the School of Visual arts, NYC and is currently in his third year of a three year course at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf teacher training. He also guides a parenting education and discussion support group at Berkeley Rose Waldorf school. The group is oriented towards building a greater understanding of the developmental arch of childhood from birth to 7 years of age. he is available for one on one consultations with parents of children from birth to age 7.
For Swati Rastogi, art has always been a way of life, driving her to a formal education that included her Bachelors of Fine Arts and Masters in History of Arts from India. Swati’s art is a combination of Fine Arts and Crafts and she has developed a style which involves her culture, traditions, aesthetics, emotions and intellect. Her work is influenced by folk and tribal arts of India which include mandalas and patterns.
Swati’s major works include murals at Indian restaurants in New Jersey and New York City, painting the streets of downtown Jersey City for one of the biggest LGBTQ Pride festivals for two consecutive years, painting four catch basins (in Jersey City) and recently an Electric Utility Box in Dublin, CA. She has been an active participant of the Jersey City Art and Studio Tour for several years and is currently involved in the Tri Valley Art and Studio Tour.
https://www.instagram.com/swatirastogi.arts/
Dr. Karuna Sabnani, NMD is a Beauty and Natural Medicine Expert. She is the founder of Karuna Naturopathic Inc. Dr. Karuna applies Ayurvedic philosophy, and the healing power of nature with her patients.
She has worked with patients nationally + internationally for over 20 years. Her writing and articles have been featured in The Huffington Post and her advice has been sought after in Cosmo, Yoga Journal, Healthline and Allure Magazines. She has been the health and beauty advisor to supermodel IMAN’S company, Iman Cosmetics.
She has appeared on national networks and featured on shows such on Dr. OZ and actress Judy Greer’s show Reluctantly Healthy on The CW Network. Dr. Sabnani is also the author of Get Relief From Time Deficit Disorder (TDD).
She speaks worldwide about the importance of beauty + pleasure in Wellness. She launched the PLEASURE RX course and the Five Sense Experience in 2019.
You can find her on Instagram: