As we transition out of 2024 - taken with some trepidation by most I think - I wondered what to post. A comic about 2025? I’ve seen some good ones, including one showing a bunch of scientists prodding the door to 2025 open with a long rod while staying safely out of sight. But in the end, I chose warmth. The earth. All the things that make it real and grounded for most of us.

Robert Mamani, *The Energy of Mother Earth*

Bolivian artist Roberto Mamani (aka Mamani Mamani) captures the nurturing feeling of warmth and stability within Mother Earth’s embrace.

His vibrant, geometrical shapes and mythological characters bring light and hope.

Mamani Mamani, *Pachamama* (Mother Earth)

Mamani Mamani, (I don’t know the tile for this one, but it reminds me of planets orbiting in loving harmony with each other)

Born in 1962 in the Quechua region of the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, Roberto Mamani is a self-taught indigenous artist who is inspired by visions and feelings of nature and people.

Robert Mamani, *Pachamama* (Mother Earth)

In his works on paper and his monumental murals that rise on the sides of high storied apartment buildings in the Bolivian highlands, he renders magical figures in vibrant colours to ward off evil spirits, just as his grandfather taught him when he was just a child.

Mamani Mamani’s murals protecting the residents of El Alto, Bolivia

Mamani Mamani’s dynamic figurative works are populated by characters, animals and plants amidst the Andean geography, often cradled by Mother Earth (Pachamama) herself, capturing the Bolivian mythology and reflecting its identity. Most of his artworks are rendered on watercolour paper to which he applies bright resin colours that he prepares himself from various pigments.

Well known and loved in Bolivia, Mamani Mamani’s energy and optimism are infectious.

Perhaps it’s all about belief. If we believe in the light, it will always be there. Wishing you a year of optimism and love.

Katrine

Warmth and Love and the Core