This year, on World Sparrow Day (March 20), artist Rupa Samaria returns to a known nook, amid a familiar flock. The Delhi-based multimedia artist has distinguished herself over as a keen conservationist over her career, with her flights of fancy particularly alighting on our avian friends.
Samaria has an upcoming solo exhibition, A Bird Call, to be held at India Habitat Centre. Showcasing 50-60 of her works in various media including water colours, acrylic, charcoal, and sculpture, the theme is in keeping with the artist’s oeuvre: birds of every feather, as it were.
“My avian art comes from my love for these creatures, who I love to paint using my brush and sculpt using my hands, a process which gives me immense gratification as an artist. Moreover, we should be alarmed at the statistics of the recent State of India’s Birds report, which show a decline in the number of house sparrows in cities. I believe the time to act is now,” says Samaria.The main stars of the show of course, are the birds themselves, and Samaria’s gallery of fowl and fair include species found across the Indian subcontinent, such as owls, herons, kingfishers, and numerous others, not to mention the previously common sparrow.
The exhibition is supported by noted ornithologist, author, and conservationist Bikram Grewal along with photographer and conservationist Nikhil Devasar, and educator Krishna Gupta, among others.
"Rupa’s work brings to mind Oscar Wilde’s quote 'Life imitates art far more than art imitates life'. Her paintings have given creative expression to the avian world. These works of art are moments frozen in time that enthuse the viewer to discover what lies in the natural world and the need to protect it,' says Devasar.
The main stars of the show of course, are the birds themselves, and Samaria’s gallery of fowl and fair include species found across the Indian subcontinent, such as owls, herons, kingfishers, and numerous others, not to mention the previously common sparrow.
The artist had previously contributed to World Sparrow Day 2018, when she did an exhibition on the once numerous bird species that is fast disappearing, called Ek Thi Chidiya.
From: March 18-22
At: Visual Arts Gallery, IHC