Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
POPULAR Bahrain-based creatives Limnesh Augustine and Jincy Babu showcased their artistic prowess at the Sarasota International Chalk Art Festival in the US this month, painting life-sized murals inspired by sustainability.
The husband-and-wife team was among more than 150 artists from around the world who took part in the event held from November 7 to 11.
They created two three-dimensional (3D) paintings joining two square walls, each measuring about two-and-a-half metres tall, with the floor of the same dimension.
The artworks, titled Bees’ Supermarket and Digital Aquarium, were inspired by United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The artists, who call themselves the ‘chalk family’, have been collaborating with the UN for the past 11 years with their interactive creations explaining sustainability in a simplified way.
“We share our knowledge and help each other, making it a pleasant and collaborative experience,” Limnesh, 42, told GulfWeekly.
“At Sarasota this year, the crew, who are locals that volunteer, was scarce due to Hurricane Milton. When the organisers informed the artists about this, we stepped up, shifting panels for each other and drilling bits with happy hearts,” he added.
Bees’ Supermarket highlighted the important role that the winged wonders play in our ecosystem. According to the Indian expatriate couple from Kerala, it aligns with several SDGs, especially SDG 2 – zero hunger – while also emphasising the need for biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices.
“The artwork depicts a bee busy filling honey in a jar, which is available for humans at the price of $10 for a sip. There’s another bee at the cash register, collecting the money. The painting symbolises the insect’s industrious nature while also pointing to how valuable honey is as a resource,” Limnesh revealed.
“Bees are vital to our planet’s health and well-being. Bees’ Supermarket encourages viewers to support bee-friendly initiatives, in turn raising awareness about the challenges they face such as habitat loss and pesticide use.
“The painting also serves as a reminder of our interconnectedness with nature and the urgent need to protect our environment,” he explained, adding that it took them two and half days to complete the artwork.
The dynamic duo described their second creation entitled Digital Aquarium, as a ‘powerful metaphor for our contemporary relationship with technology’.
The mural has the same dimensions as the first and also took two and half days to finish. It’s inspired by SDG 3 – good health and well-being – and underpins the importance of balancing screen time with real-world experiences, which is needed for good mental health. It also encourages a reconnection with nature.
The painting also showcases the artists’ creative interpretation of SDG 4 – quality education – fostering digital literacy while understanding the impact that technology has on us.
“Digital Aquarium supports education that emphasises the responsible use of digital tools. It visually encapsulates the paradox of being simultaneously immersed in and isolated from the natural world due to our reliance on artificial intelligence, virtual reality, mobile devices, and social media,” Jincy, 31, said, urging viewers to create a future where technology enhances our connection to nature instead of isolating us from it.
Electronics and communications engineer at Gulf Business Machines Bahrain Limnesh and art educator Jincy have represented Bahrain and India at several events in the past, including renowned street art and chalk festivals in Holland, Italy, France and the US.
They also hold the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest 3D anamorphic painting created in 2012, measuring 2,294sqm.
“Our next adventure will be at the street art festival in Melbourne, Australia in January,” the couple, who have been married for 10 years and live with their cat Choo Choo in Seef District, said.
“It’s the first edition and will attract artists from various countries including Italy, Netherlands, Japan, India, and of course, Bahrain. Our work will be based on local Australian flora and fauna,” they added.
