Kodagu is theme of painting show

An ongoing show has mounted paintings of pristine forests of Kodagu and river Cauvery that is sacred to the region.

The month-long show by multi-disciplinary artist Bhavani G S is called ‘Forest’.

Many of the 30 paintings on display teem with mushrooms, butterflies, berries, deer and elephants and they are inspired by Bhavani’s childhood memories of growing up in a coffee estate in Somwarpet in north Kodagu.

“The forest patch adjacent to our estate was untouched. I would see wild cats, wild fig trees, insects and butterflies. I would go collect snakeskin against my mother’s wishes. I would hear jackal howl. I would pick kallivoo (wild Poinsettia). But now homestays and safari tours have come up and global warming has disturbed the ecological balance on Kodagu as a whole,” says the 50-year-old, who shuttles between Kodagu and Bengaluru for work.

Some paintings capture the polluted state of Cauvery, drawing from years of journey she has taken along the river. It takes 10,000 litres of water to manufacture a single pair of jeans, and 1.5 to 3 litres for one litre of soft drinks, she talks about how relentless consumerism is depleting our water resources. These are watercolour works on paper, and acrylic on canvas.

On view till August 31 (closed on Sundays), 11 am to 7 pm, at Ambara, Halasuru.