Bears can paint, too

If you don't believe that,u00a0a unique art show co-created by animals and artists will stand testimony this weekend

Get ready to savour some spicy 'paw bhaaji', being sold on canvas street this weekend. Your friendly street bhaalu has graduated from captive existence and cheap entertainment to the capital's coveted art scene, complete with renowned artists for partnership. The Wildlife SOS Bear Sanctuary, People for Animals and Art Junction -- the gallery at The Lalitu00a0-- are together hosting a unique endeavour called One World,u00a0 an exhibition to support wildlife conservation. Theu00a0 extraordinary part: real, live bears have painted the pieces before artists added the final touch.u00a0

Bear foot
The initiative is the first of its kind in the country. The bears were given an empty canvas on which they marked their paw-prints, after dipping them in colour. An ensemble of 27 artists then came together work on these pieces further, reiterating the fact that that the world is one place. "All the proceeds of the exhibition will go to 5 Wildlife SOS Bear sanctuariesu00a0-- those in Agra, Mathura Bhopal, Bangalore and Kolkata. An interesting aspect is that the artworks normally cost a lakh each, but for this exhibition, the rates have been slashed to Rs 25,000 per piece, making it affordable as well," says Maneka Gandhi, chairperson People for Animals.

Brushing it up
When it came to working on bear-painted canvasses, all the artists made sure that the authenticity of the works were not lost. For instance, Renu Jain created a natural habitat of the bear world on her canvas with elements like tree barks to add to the effect.

Sangeeta Murthy, on the other hand, created a happy world for the bears, which includes flowers and foliage. "The challenge was to get out of our comfort zone and create a work that is a far cry from the usual, and that'd help spread the message that humans and animals can co-exist peacefully if each is left to leave a life of its own," she explains.

Other participating artists include Renuka Sondhi, Priyanka, Vikram Nayak, Alka Jhamb, Him rajani, Anju Kaushik, Geeta Ramaseh, Anita Trehan and Richa Arora and Nirau00a0 Davar among others.
Go get a hug that can be hung!

One World
On till: January 31
Where: The Lalit, Barakhamba Road
Timings: 11 am to 7 pm