Kuma

2021

Antonio Marras

The flower is like a Kamon, the coat of arms of the Japanese Kuma family, rulers of the eponymous island. An unknown island. Imagine the surprise of the first Commodore and crew upon disembarking there by chance. Their first image was of a jagged coastline, a rock the colour of sage and copper, a soft shimmering sea, a girl standing against the horizon like a votive statue: a black Venus emerging from the foam of the waves like a true sea goddess. She was Kari, Balhi's beautiful twin sister, who asked the sea for more shells, black coral branches, castanets and pearls to adorn herself and create wonderful, regal headdresses, fabrics and decorations representing the essence of the fusion of sea, flowers and earth. Antonio Marras