24 November,2010 06:35 AM IST | | Aditi Sharma
Graphic arts studio Design Temple has collaborated with international graphic artists to create contemporary designs inspired by animals from Indian mythology
It's a garish 80s Bollywood film. The camera zooms in on the stripes of an ugh tiger skin rug before panning out, and away to the face of the villain. The guys at PETA might not let the bad guy flaunt his tiger rug anymore (for good reason, too), but that doesn't mean you can't own a tiger rug.
Bengal Tiger Rug, illustration by Josh Brill
American graphic artist Josh Brill's design inspired by Goddess Durga's vahan (vehicle) has been converted into a stunning rug that won't make you feel like you've committed a crime against mother nature. Brill is one of seven artists to have come together to create designs inspired by sacred Indian animals for Design Temple's art show, Animania.
Curated by Divya Thakur, Animania features the Asiatic Lion, the Indian Grey Mongoose, the Ghariyal (crocodile), Garuda (eagle), the Bengal Tiger, the Black Buck and others. "As Indians, we believe in respecting, even praying to our animals. The worship provided protection to most animals because they were venerated. The condition has deteriorated steadily, though," says Thakur, adding that the artwork is an attempt to raise awareness on the issue.
Artists Ingela P Arrhenius from Sweden, Leandro Castelao and Christian Montenegro from Argentina, Seijiro Kubo from Japan and Lokesh Karekar from Mumbai have collaborated on Animania, apart from Brill and Thakur, herself.
The designs will be available for sale as prints as well as on an exclusive range of products. "We are not artists in the traditional sense of the word. The purpose of graphic art is to achieve an objective. For us, it means bringing joy and meaning to everyday objects," says Thakur. And so, utility is key as is seen in the Bengal Tiger illustration rug or the illustrated Animania Planner. Ten per cent of the proceeds from sale will go towards animal welfare programmes.
Animania will be on till November 28 at Gallery BMB, Queens Mansion, GT Marg, Fort. Call: 22000061 Animania range of products will be available from December 1 onwards at Good Earth, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel.
