Afonso Rocha, born in Portugal in 1999, examines the intricacies of social and interpersonal dynamics through a unique collage-like approach to painting. His layered compositions weave together diverse references, creating multifaceted portraits that blend irony and humour with acute social commentary. Rocha, who holds degrees from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Porto and the City & Guilds of London Art School, has been recognised with grants from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. His work, often infused with wit, offers a sharp reflection on contemporary life.

Similarly introspective yet strikingly different in execution, Zach Zono, a self-taught artist born in Cape Town in 1999 and now based in London, engages with the sensations of memory. His abstract canvases serve as visual meditations on personal experiences, blending reality and imagination to create works that resonate with emotional depth. Zono’s practice is guided by intuition, resulting in compositions that evoke a sense of timelessness and fluidity, inviting viewers to explore their own recollections through his expressive brushwork.

In contrast, London-born artist Piers Alsop (b. 1984) adopts a more figurative yet enigmatic approach. His multidisciplinary practice—spanning painting, drawing, and collage—treats the canvas as a stage where anonymous figures occupy ambiguous spaces, caught between abstraction and reality. Often exploring themes of solitude and human detachment, Alsop’s work creates introspective vignettes that challenge the viewer’s perception. A graduate of Camberwell College of Arts, his work has been exhibited internationally, including at Zona Maco in Mexico City and Neon Gallery in London.

Together, these three artists embody the shifting narratives within contemporary painting, each offering a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the human experience. With growing recognition, their work is undoubtedly one to watch.

Dimitrios Tsivrikos is founder of contemporary art gallery, The Tagli (thetagli.com) 

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Orange robe-clad Buddhist monks stroll gracefully past

For our second night we head a little closer to town, right in the centre in fact, to Amantaka, a former hospital. A stately, low-rise colonially-inspired estate surrounded by acres of lush gardens, scattered with standalone suites and villas, each elegantly decorated in Aman’s signature pared-back aesthetic. Elegant palm trees nod in the gentle November breeze as we wonder through the grounds. Inside our suite, the main space houses an immaculately-made freestanding king-size bed, an airy lounge with double sofa and gnarly wooden writing desk. This leads to a cavernous bathroom and private courtyard with plunge pool, a little haven to enjoy some quiet time. During our stay, a Tibetan monk had been drafted in and was hosting a breath-work and meditation retreat, which had drawn an eclectic bunch of global nomads, seeking to bolster depleted energy levels. As dusk falls we make our way to the pool terrace and tuck into a fiery fish curry with sticky rice, washed down with inventive juice-based cocktails infused with local herbs. Everything here feels effortless and just right. Somehow Aman always seems to hit the spot. Fast forward a few hours and our 5am wake up call seemed fairly obtrusive, but soon we were to experience something so extraordinary, so touching, we would fully appreciate the necessity. As we arrive at the property boundary, we are invited to kneel on the edge of the dusty pavement. In the distance, we observe a gathering of Laotian monks, huddled closely, head to toe in vivid saffron robes, preparing for their daily almsgiving ritual. About eight of us, mainly Westerners, are each handed a beautifully woven Lao basket containing sticky rice, ‘khao neow’, which we offer to the monks as they stroll gracefully past. And just like that we were transported back in time.

The area in the south of the country, for me, is proper Cambodia. Pleasantly distant from any tourists and high-rise development, it is a place of intense beauty. Upon arrival deep inside the Cardamom mountains, we’re greeted by a couple of the team who help us clamber into an open-roof jeep, which gently pootles higher into the wilderness, meandering through the evergreen forest. Suddenly an elegant pheasant darts across the un-made track, trampling over kaffir lime leaves, releasing a rich zesty scent. A few moments later, ninety-eight steps stand proudly in front of us. This is it. The moment we’ve been anticipating. We harness up and, individually, clip in to the zip-wire. Whooooosh. Seconds later and I’m zooming over the jungle, soaring high above the waterfalls which surround our new home for the next few days, Shinta Mani Wild, a sort of super-luxe adventure camp, dreamt up by creative whizkid Bill Bensley and launched in 2018 with a sole initiative to protect the fast-vanishing flora and fauna of the surrounding jungle and rainforest, which straddles three national parks. A land of inexplicable beauty, where elephants and tigers roam freely. Fifteen fixed-structure canvas tents have been constructed using local materials without jeopardising the rural landscape. No mean feat so deep into the mountain. Each one carefully decorated with trinkets and paintings depicting iconic periods from Cambodia’s fascinating past. Exposed brass pipes, bamboo handcrafted furniture, beaten up wooden trunks. Every item has a story to tell and almost everything is re-used or recycled. A butler-guide is assigned to each guest who will run you through the camp’s concept: ostensibly an activity base to learn about the admirable anti-poaching efforts, but also to enjoy adventure: kayaking, forest mountain biking, swimming. It would be foolish of me not to mention the spa, Khmer Tonics, a calm oasis at the pounding heart of the jungle. The dedicated team of therapists have been drafted in from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, and have curated a top-notch menu of treatments and rituals, administering chemical-free, homemade potions in a truly special – and utterly zen – sanctuary.

Low-impact travel

Eco-pioneer outfitters, Six Senses, who have form setting up high-design, low-impact health-focused resorts in off-grid locations, unveiled a new property just off the south coast of Cambodia recently. Krabey Island, pronounced “crab-eye”, is a rugged outcrop just a fifteen-minute speedboat journey from the mainland. As we approach the island, we catch a glimpse of the lush jungle and swaying palm trees that awaits us. Ateeb, the vivacious general manager, drafted in from Vietnam, bundles us in to a glossy, banana-leaf-green electric buggy, and we whiz across the hilly island to inspect a few of the forty beautifully designed villas, lost in amongst the dense vegetation. Plump bullfrogs dart out playfully in front of us, a grinning chef strolls happily past, clutching large bunches of lemongrass. If there ever was a time to consider a new adventure in South East Asia, I really think it might be now – after all, the balmy November sun is calling. 

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A centuries-old farmhouse has been remastered into a holistic haven in a remote eastern enclave of this sunny isle

Jolting down a country lane, just in land on the island’s east coast, we approach some gnarled wooden gates. A pale blue wall lizard darts out from beneath a cracked rock. Two hawks swoop overhead playfully as we find ourselves approaching a smart gravel driveway flanked by rows of cowboy cacti. Steep rosemary-lined steps invite us up to a meticulously restored 18^th century ‘finca Ibicenca’ and the sweet scent of olive wood crackling in the open hearth. Two large dining spaces are scattered sparsely with tables and chairs, and a considered chaotic energy seeps out from the open, firewood kitchen.

Farm-to-table movement

Executive Chef Gonzalo Cerrato Laguna, equipped with an illustrious background with residencies in London and Mexico, approaches cooking with simplicity, purity, and a connection to the fundamental roots of each cuisine. A celebration of everything wholesome. Regional ingredients sourced from the Balearics and mainland Spain, wild flavours, and the freshest seasonal raw materials combine to create a down-to-earth menu, beautifully presented as a single, crisp page of parchment. Aguamadera also champions its own farm-to-table movement with 1,330m2 of gardens stuffed with vegetables, fruit, medicinal plants, herbs and flowers. 

“Forging authentic connections with our locals, our in-house talent fosters relationships with a carefully selected group of local providers who embody and enrich Aguamadera’s culinary experience.”

Aguamadera’s newly launched wellness pavilion, housed in a restored century-old farm building, and beautifully presented in the hotel’s signature earthy-minimal style, presents guests with a program of pared-back massages, facial treatments, therapy, activities and workshops, making full use of the bucolic hillside. 

NINE is a private concierge club crafting mindfully imaginative travel & lifestyle experiences globally

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How are you and your team and what are you doing during lockdown?

Well that depends on who of us you speak to.  There are a dozen of us that have been working full time and then the other 210+ team members are at home under quarantine/curfew and have been there since 25 March. Those working are actually living in the Three Bedroom Hillside Pool Villas on site so that we can do our own cooking, cleaning and washing because all the laundry and culinary teams are at home. I have definitely channelled my inner domestic goddess in the last 2 months! When not gardening or cleaning the pools, we have been working on enhanced protocols for hygiene and sanitisation, ensuring that we read and consider every WHO, CDC, regional government, local government and tourism/hotel paper or discussion on protocols.  We are taking everything into consideration and have come up with what I think are some very solid processes which will create a sense of safety and comfort for both guests and team members when they return (hopefully the latter before the former as we have much to do still in terms of a good spring clean). 

How do you envisage travel in the region over the next 3-12 months?

Short term (3 months) I think it will be slow because people will want to wait and see, don’t want to have to go through too many checks and tests, or be on the beach in a mask etc and of course we are about to go into low season here in the Caribbean.  I am hoping for a decent Aug – Oct and leaning towards a positive uplift and good demand from November onwards, especially for festive season.

What positive outcomes will you take from this crisis?

You mean apart from learning that I can cook, clean and garden? Jokes aside, it has been an excellent opportunity to assess our vision, mission and values and address some of the things we do not have time for when we are busy with our gorgeous house guests. I also feel that we have grown together as a team, leant on each other in the beginning when it was like some crazy dream, and now all just itching to get on with it and excited to almost see the light at the end of tunnel.

Narelle McDougall is the general manager at Silversands, Grenada.

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