Lord Krishna's pastoral cow has lost its way in the urban jungle. A solo exhibition pays homage to the mother mammal and packs a punch on the contemporary consumerist society

Lord Krishna's pastoral cow has lost its way in the urban jungle. A solo exhibition pays homage to the mother mammal and packs a punch on the contemporary consumerist society

We revere them as Kamadhenu, Surabhi and Nandi, but also leave them grazing on garbage heaps, munching on plastic bags.u00a0 The Decorated Cow, an ongoing exhibition, juxtapositions the bull and the cow of our mythical, socio-religious psyche with their present state under the postmodern man.

Punjab da puttar
Artist Sidharth, who went missing for a while, makes a comeback with his portrayal of the serene animal, and its relationship with human beings. Sidharth's work has always had a mystical undertone that is evident from his early influence of Zen, Sufi, Buddhist and Sikh teachings. The 54-year-old, who used to paint signboards during his school days, spent his formative years in rural Punjab. That initiated him into classical literature, folk ballads and mythology that reflects in this series.

Now sacredness, now slaughtered
The works include paintings, sculptures and a short film on the animal in contemporary setting. He tries to create a link between the cow as an integral part of myths and legends, and its current plight, where it gets injected with chemical enhancers to produce milk or worse, lands in a slaughter-house.
The cow stands as a metaphor for mother earth and nature. The way man treats the bovine today reflects his callous attitude towards nature. While Sidharth uses radiant colours for the paintings, it's marble, cowries and fiberglass that give the sculptures three dimensionality. Their is also au00a0 short film and music composed by the artist. Another interesting aspect of the work is the artist's transparency. He allows his fans to peep into his studio and catch him in the process, a rare trait that most artists refrain from.u00a0u00a0u00a0

The Alchemist
As a cultural conservationist , Sidharth walks his talk. Wherever he travels, he makes sure he visits the local markets.
Anything interesting for him is a potential medium that can become a material of art. From natural vegetable sources and minerals, he experiments with a variety of raw supplies, likeu00a0u00a0 leaves, herbs, barks, lichens, herbs, lava, linseed oil, pearl-dust, moon rock and berries.
Gou00a0 gais, go!

The Decorated Cow
Where: Religare arts.i gallery
Till: April 13
Timings: 10 am to 11pm