be different art

Serenely beautiful, three masks display different arts styles from West Africa. Victor Yao Delanyo carves the lovely trio by hand to use as ornaments. Painted by hand and polished to a high sheen, they carry Delanyo's advice - be happy anytime, anywhere, no matter the situation.

"I like to show our ancestors' traditions through my art, so that our children realize how different is their life compared to my generation, and older," confides Filiberto Chali. Painting with oils, he tells the story of how a young woman is stolen from her parents' home by her boyfriend and his friends. The only witness to the event is a man with a couple of bottles, perhaps not the most reliable of witnesses.

Kidnapping brides used to be a fairly common practice in San Juan Comalapa, Chali's hometown. The reason for taking her could be anything, from her being underage, her parents not allowing the union, or her not wanting to marry the groom. By kidnapping her, the parents were ultimately obliged to allow their union lest she be deemed unchaste by everyone else. Today the custom continues, but only when there is consent, and then the festivities ensue.

Titled "Se Roban a la Muchacha" in Spanish.

Start a new series of adventures, experiences and memories with a handy accessory from the captivating Guatemalan lands. Designer Gaby Briz and a talented team of artisans work with different materials to create a joyous composition of classic regional details, later printed on the cardboard cover of this lined journal featuring 100 paper pages. Accented with the word Guatemala in graceful calligraphy, the piece—equipped with a plastic coil binding—honours the best of the region's arts.

Start a new series of adventures, experiences and memories with a handy accessory from the tropical Guatemalan lands. Designer Gaby Briz and a talented team of artisans work with different materials to create an expressionist composition of a man wearing a traditional monkey mask, later printed on the cardboard cover of this lined journal featuring 100 paper pages. Accented with the word Guatemala in tasteful calligraphy, the piece—equipped with a plastic coil binding—honours the best of the region's customs.

Start a new series of adventures, experiences and memories with a handy accessory from the gorgeous Guatemalan lands. Designer Gaby Briz and a talented team of artisans work with different materials to create a classic composition of the Santa Catalina Arch, later printed on the cardboard cover of this lined journal featuring 100 paper pages. Accented with the Spanish title Guatemala Antigua Guatemala in elegant calligraphy, the piece—equipped with a plastic coil binding—honours the best of the region's landscapes.

Start a new series of adventures, experiences and memories with a handy accessory from the enchanting Guatemalan lands. Designer Gaby Briz and a talented team of artisans work with different materials to create a gorgeous composition of Lake Atitlan, later printed on the cardboard cover of this lined journal featuring 100 paper pages. Accented with the Spanish title Guatemala Lago de Atitlan in dapper calligraphy, the piece—equipped with a plastic coil binding—honours the best of the region's landscapes.

A perky blue parrot alights on a tree branch. With wings spread, it flaunts flirty feathers in bright primary colours. Pablo and Lucy Mendez carry on the traditional alebrije folk art they learned from their own parents to craft the beautiful bird.

Oaxaca's alebrije tradition derives from the art of Pedro Linares (1906-1992), a Mexico City papier mache artist. While in a coma during a serious illness, he found himself in a dream forest with fanciful creatures made with body parts from different animals. They cried, "Alebrije! Alebrije!" When he awakened, Linares crafted the figures in papier mache and his influence reached to Oaxaca, where they are carved from copal wood.

Because each sculpture is an individually created work of folk art, shapes are dictated by the wood branch and may vary slightly. The feathers and tree trunk are disassembled to protect them during shipping.

Start a new series of adventures, experiences and memories with a handy accessory from the captivating Guatemalan lands. Designer Gaby Briz and a talented team of artisans work with different materials to create a vibrant composition of a quetzal bird, later printed on the cardboard cover of this lined journal featuring 100 paper pages. Accented with the word Guatemala in refined calligraphy, the piece—equipped with a plastic coil binding—honours the best of the region's fauna.

Start a new series of adventures, experiences and memories with a handy accessory from the beautiful Guatemalan lands. Designer Gaby Briz and a talented team of artisans work with different materials to create a cheerful composition of a classic Chicken bus, later printed on the cardboard cover of this lined journal featuring 100 paper pages. Accented with the word Guatemala in refined calligraphy, the piece—equipped with a plastic coil binding—honours the best of the region's traditions.