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Alberto Gutierrez, Nicaragua hermit

Alberto Gutierrez, who is nearly 80, lives in rural Nicaragua in a one-room hut without running water or electricity. But his hermit life is today well-known because of the rock carvings he has sculpted throughout the vicinity of his original farm for some thirty years. Gutierrez began his practice of rock-carving as a hobby, but his themes and skills remain those of a sociable but discreet hermit. Many travel blogs and video sites describe Gutierrez as a curiosity and a tourism attraction, and while he seems to welcome the attention, little is really known about him.

representative URLs:http://www.theplaidzebra.com/meet-alberto-the-stone-carving-hermit-of-nicaragua-who-lives-entirely-off-of-the-land/; http://expertvagabond.com/alberto-the-hermit/; http://jackandjilltravel.com/alberto-gutierrez-sculptor-nicaragua/

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Hermit nuns today

“Embracing the eremetical life” is a recent Today’s Catholic News article profiling three hermit nuns in Indiana. They share an eclectic path to eremitism, each being mature in age and having been married, two with children and grandchildren. Each has a rule specific to themselves, governing their overall apostalate. Ech wears a habit, though no habit is required of them. And each lives alone and is self-supporting. The article highlights characteristics common to all Catholic hermits.

URL: http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2015/08/embracing-the-eremitical-life/

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Mt. Zhongnan hermits

A colorful overview of Chinese hermits today is presented by the View of China website. Highlights the famous Mt. Zhongnan (Mt. Chung-nan) and its long history of nurturing hermits. Discusses professional hermits, Buddhist and Daoists, as well as casual hermits who visit the mountains on weekends to meditate and absorb the atmosphere of the famous Zhongnan.

URL: http://viewofchina.com/modern-chinese-hermits/

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Agafya update

Media closely follows the Old Believer hermit Agafya Lykov in her Siberian solitude. Here is another chapter in her story, as the headline in this Siberian Times article states: “Friend to reclusive hermit dies leaving Old Believer all alone again in taiga.” A geologist whose work acquainted him with the Lykov family, Yerofei Sedov built a hut for himself in his later years in the vicinity of Agafya’s dwelling. He died at 77.

URL: http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/n0230-friend-to-reclusive-hermit-dies-leaving-old-believer-all-alone-again-in-taiga/

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Palestinian’s solitude art

Nidaa Barwan is a young Palestinian artist who took up solitude in order to withdraw from the horrors of war and oppression around her residence in Gaza. Taking up reading Garcia-Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude inspired her to conceive of consolidating her digital photographs into an exhibition theme titled “One Hundred Days of Solitude,” although she has maintained her solitude now for over a year, excluding only short forays from her room.

The exhibition has received attention, having been presented outside Gaza in Israel and profiled in the New York Times and by France24. Barwan structures the solitude of self as colorfully interior spaces, enriching the still-life photographs with a strong personal presence. As an artist, she asserts a protest to the world, naturally, and justifies this sentiment with a consciously constructed and maintained solitude.

URLs: http://www.nidaabadwan.com; http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/world/middleeast/finding-gaza-unbearable-artist-creates-her-own-world-in-one-room.html; http://www.france24.com/en/20150512-palestinian-artist-badwan-photography-bedroom-israel-hamas