#AlmightyPeople Prak Sritharan

We have a chat with one half of the lovely Kaukau and long term friend of Almighty, Prak Sritharan.

“Embracing contemporary art and design by forming a visual narrative that ebbs and flows” you’ll find the beautiful gallery and store ‘Kaukau’ on Wellington’s Ghuznee Street. Run by Prak and his partner Nadya, Kaukau opened its doors in early 2021 to reveal a thoughtfully curated retail space dedicated to art and design with a focus on showcasing and supporting local makers. Prak has been a friend of Almighty from the beginning, so we’re excited for you to get to know a bit more about this local legend.

Can you tell us a little about what it is that you do?

I run a store & gallery space called KAUKAU in Pōneke Wellington with my partner Nadya France-White. We work with a lovely mix of designers, makers and artists. Alongside KAUKAU, I work on a bit of consulting on interiors and the like.

Kaukau has a beautiful mix of art mediums within it and you have given a number of upcoming artists a platform to exhibit. How do you find exciting new artists to include in the Kaukau offering?

It's a mix of artists approaching us and KAUKAU reaching out. We have a natural relationship with Massey Fine Art school where we have exhibited recent graduates. It feels important to be able to offer this platform for emerging artists. We are also working towards exhibiting some international artists this year which we are excited about.

What do you look for in your artists?

Integrity and a desire to work closely alongside us to present something special. We love the relationships we've formed through working with our artists and makers, which makes it all worth the while!

Ghuznee Street has a really strong community feel, what do you think creates community?

Always hard to say as it never feels like community is created with too much intention. We love the concentration of independently owned business on our little stretch of Ghuznee which I think is the main contributor, all that are empathetic to the cause. Nadya and I both know we wouldn't still be here on the street if we didn't have their support, emotional and otherwise.

"My motivation comes from fully realising the fact there's more to life than just working"

We heard you do a bit of running, how do you like to stay active?

Running is my way of clearing my head and pressing the reset button. I like how primitive it is - I'll try and burn off a big day (or a big night) by going out for a run. I'm trying, and somewhat failing, to get enough yoga in my routine to make sure my body holds up!

In a time of rollercoaster uncertainty, how do you find balance and motivation?

Balance might just be a myth, and my motivation comes from fully realising the fact there's more to life than just working.

Check out Kauaku here

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