Now Reading: Artists turn turtles and owls into symbols of human thought
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Artists turn turtles and owls into symbols of human thought
The Story in Brief
Woodcut works by Government College of Art students Aman Shukla and Indu Gangwar were displayed at the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi’s Annual Art Exhibition 2026 at Punjab Kala Bhawan. Shukla’s Slow Buddies, Heavy Burden shows turtles journeying on a grinning human head, linking them with patience and evolutionary history. Gangwar’s Inner Wisdom places an owl on a woman’s head as a symbol of intelligence and independence, challenging negative beliefs about owls and restrictive ideas about women.
The exhibition also featured a rare leopard sighting from Badi Sher in the Morni Hills. Wildlife photographer Gagan Gyan, alerted by bird guide Gourav, searched the hillsides for three hours before briefly photographing the leopard as it looked out from vegetation. Leopard sightings in the region are difficult to record because the animals avoid people and remain concealed, while camera traps provide most regular evidence.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Woodcut is a relief-print process in which an artist carves away parts of a wooden block, inks the raised surface and transfers the image to paper. The medium rewards bold shapes and strong contrasts, which suit symbolic images such as animals placed above human heads. Leopards in India receive the highest protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making their capture, possession or harm subject to strict legal controls. When a leopard enters a populated area, the practical priority is usually to keep people away and let forest authorities assess the situation rather than encourage pursuit. Future sightings around Morni will be judged by both photographic evidence and the animal’s proximity to settlements.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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