Pacific Palisades resident Calliope Caloyera Babu-Khan will exhibit her Greek-themed series of mixed-media and large watercolor paintings of gods and goddesses depicting mythological themes at the third annual Women’s Health and Wellness symposium. The event will be held on Saturday, October 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Loyola Marymount University, One LMU Drive in Los Angeles. Babu-Khan’s exhibition, entitled “Greece’s Salute to the United States,” will take place in the atrium of the University Hall. The symposium is sponsored by the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies at LMU. The Center was established in 1974 with the purpose of presenting the artistic and cultural contributions of Greece during the last 200 years. Basil P. Caloyeras, Babu-Khan’s father, thought that offering university-level classes on the language, literature, history, music and dance of modern Greece would best serve this purpose. The center was originally endowed by the Caloyeras family, which continues its support today. “My background with Greek, Indian and other cultures has allowed me to develop my sense of color and line, and has influenced my inner expression,” says Babu-Khan, a native of Athens, Greece. “I have explored different techniques using oils, acrylics, drawings, printmaking and collage.” Her basic theme consists of a series of compositions and figures in line contours. Employing positive and negative shapes that often play against each other, she creates patterns of intense color. Her decisive delicacy of line, observing the details of the human form, is an exuberant celebration of life. Babu-Khan, who earned a fine arts degree from UCLA, is married to Shafi Babu-Khan, a native of India who also studied in the United States. In 1980, she established the “India Arts Council” at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, and served as president through 1987. She has been vice president of Women Painters West from 1989-1992. Most recently, Babu-Khan has created a series of “biographical paintings,” which contain elements from the lives of individuals who have inspired her. The one she made for her daughter, Nasreen, a Pisces, has fish representing each year of Nasreen’s life surrounding the colorful geometric shapes. Babu-Khan marked the year that Nasreen’s first child was born in one of the fish. The painting also includes an Indian design to represent Nasreen’s Indian heritage. “Utilizing the language of art, I speak of those unique personalities that have intrigued me,” Babu-Khan says. “They have inspired me and, in turn, I have recorded their achievements and life events.” The artist is currently accepting proposals for biographical paintings and any other projects. Contact: Calliope Caloyera Babu-Khan at 454-4151. For more information on Saturday’s event, contact: Agatha Felactu at 544-1998.
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