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In ‘Bhoo Devi’, a tall metallic statue of a woman surrounded by flowers, leaves, spiders, and birds — all made from scrap, 62-year-old contemporary artist Gopal Namjoshi has presented his interpretation of “Mother Nature”. ”The representation of Mother Earth in art is an old concept but I wanted to use a modern technique. The piece shows that the planet is not just for humans but for all creatures, including spiders, birds, and trees,” says Namjoshi whose journey as a visual artist began 15 years ago. Placed at Gate 9 of Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, ‘Bhoo Devi’ is among the many artworks that were created by artists from various parts of the country as part of a grand welcome for the delegates of the World Heritage Committee Meeting.
India hosted the 46th edition of the meeting for the first time this year between July 21 and July 31 in Delhi.
Namjoshi’s tryst with visual art was an accident. “It started when I was helping a mechanic fix my scooter. That sparked my passion for creating engineered art pieces…it has been 15 years since I have been making such pieces, and every scrap dealer in Gurgaon knows me now,” he recalls with a smile.
Another artist, 34-year-old Deepika Gautam from Delhi, offers an alternate interpretation of “Mother Nature” — ‘Regeneration,’ placed at Gate 6 of Bharat Mandapam. Using construction materials, she crafted a sculpture resembling a female figure in a yoga pose. “It represents the idea that nature always finds a way to regenerate despite the environmental impact of urban life. The figure of Mother Earth has a tree growing from its head that serves as a reminder of nature’s resilience and a call to action for reforestation,” she says.
From a towering metal peacock to a toy castle evoking childhood nostalgia — such waste-to-wonderful art pieces have been placed in several parts of the city, apart from Bharat Mandapam.
Sharing details of the effort, that went into the making of the art pieces, Namjoshi says, “We stayed at Lalit Kala Academi’s Garhi studio for a month and worked on these pieces day and night, using scrap materials that we personally collected from Mayapuri in Delhi.”
‘Sanchi Torana’ — one such art piece that has been placed at the Bharat Mandapum Ground is inspired by Buddhist culture and the monuments of South India. Created by Madhukar, a 30-year-old artist from Karnataka, the structure is made entirely of scrap iron and rods welded together to form a giant stupa, integral to Buddhist architecture. “I randomly started my art career. I was always interested in automobiles and worked in the automobile industry for five years. I eventually got creative with metal. It took me four to five years to learn the art form,” Madhukar says.
He visited a junkyard to source material and channeled his inspiration and creativity with discarded automobile parts. Adorned with traditional Chennapatna wooden dolls, which are a testament to the cultural heritage of Karnataka, elephants, and fans that sway with wind movement — it symbolises a traditional Indian welcome.
Capturing the nostalgic charm of childhood, artist Hare Krishna Pal from Tripura created a toy house, resembling a fairytale castle. He has titled his creation — ‘Once Upon a Time, the Earth was Green’…
Measuring 25 by 10 feet, the creation is placed inside the compound of the Hotel Leela Palace. “The art piece represents childhood games and the chatter of birds, which have become distant memories,” Pal says, referring to rapid urbanisation.
With the piece, he is trying to give a message — work towards conservation and prevent further environmental degradation.
Kani Parmar, a visual artist, crafted a giant leaf with iron rods covered in sheet metal. In front of this leaf stands a woman holding a book. Placed at Supreme Court Road, the artwork too sends across a message — that of women’s empowerment and a progressive society must pursue multiple goals.
At Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, a kinetic sculpture of a giant peacock will soon be placed to catch people’s eye. Created by Nilesh Palav — an artist from Mumbai, the sculpture features a long neck, elegant crest, and feathers spread out. “Not only does the sculpture represent the glory of India’s national bird, it also encourages viewers to appreciate the beauty of natural wonders…The feathers of the peacock move, making it a dynamic and captivating piece of art,” Palav says.
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