“Kamel and the Kuni Gallery: Planting Roots Through Art”1

Rompiendo mitos sobre el destino Pacifico Sur Costa Rica,

"Kamel and the Kuni Gallery: Planting Roots Through Art"

Known to most as simply Kamel, a kind, intuitive man with much to express through his art.

This Borucan "Artist in Residence" has been developing the Kuni Galería (Hummingbird Gallery) since February 2025. His vision is to educate and share his indigenous background with youth and adults alike worldwide. By bringing together the best works of art from the remaining tribes of Costa Rica, a story unfolds around the earth, animals, and soul.

Kuni Galería is located in Dominicalito at Rio Azul, across the footbridge from the elementary school, where Kamel has touched the lives of many children through art lessons and expressive murals. Rio Azul owners, Ray Schmidt and Darla Bayer, invited Kamel to become their first "Artist in Residence" earlier this year. While creating murals in the botanical garden, a sense of spirit has been evoked on the property, making it a future event space for storytelling, lectures, and musicians.

Kamel Gonzalez Rojas is a self-taught artist, the son of Ismael Gonzalez, the man who revived the technique and tradition of mask carving. Ismael, one of the elders, was the only living person to be declared a cultural patron of the country, having won the National Folk Art Award. With the recovery of the mask, the artistic tradition was strengthened and became a national intangible cultural heritage. Boruca is built on faith in the wisdom of elders and the Borucan legends they tell, passed down for centuries.

Warm stay El Tecal Hotel Uvita
Parque Corcovado
Parque Piedras Blancas

In his father's footsteps, Kamel was invited to speak in San Jose about the masks' history. Kamel is also involved in making artistic costumes and participating in the traditional Boruca dance. His involvement with the Costa Rica Ministry of Culture supports the protection of the Boruca people's heritage.

Under Kamel's gentle tutelage, as "Artist in Residence", local school children will continue to be gifted with techniques of painting each school year. Visiting the botanical garden at Rio Azul allows you to donate to their art supplies. Also, in the gallery, a section is devoted to the art made by local and tribal kids. All sales go directly to the youth, earmarked for advancing their artistic goals. Kamel's classes include painting non-mask carvings; the masks, specifically, are reserved for Boruca artists alone, preserving their heritage. Individualized painting classes are also available while you stay at Rio Azul.

Watch the Kuni Galería social media (linktr.ee/KUNI.CR) for event dates, as well as dates you can witness Kamel creating in the studio.

As patrons of Kuni Galería, you learn from Kamel the legends, the meanings of the art represented in the gallery, and how to bring the strength of love for the earth, wholeness, and joy to your own home.

Ballena Tales is a free digital magazine in Costa Rica, designed for travelers, residents, and investors, covering Costa Ballena in the Osa Canton on Costa Rica’s South Pacific coast. It is a fully bilingual, bimonthly, full-color digital magazine.

The free digital magazine introduces readers to the life of the local community, featuring interviews with pioneers, writers, and artists, as well as extensive information on restaurants, hotels, experiences, natural attractions, and wildlife in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica.

We are not just a magazine; each issue (print and digital) is linked to a robust web platform. The issues are published online, and advertorials are featured on our blog, while the brand is listed in the business directory. We also include links to the advertiser’s website and social media accounts. Currently, views of our digital publications exceed 80,000 across all platforms, and the brands we feature have a global reach.

We have a loyal audience in this region of the South Pacific; in Costa Ballena alone, your ad will be viewed by more than 8,000 readers of each print issue.

We respect our readers by adding diverse content that makes the publication engaging, while they also appreciate the advertising from our advertisers.

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