Lucknow/Kanpur: The second day of the solo painting exhibition ‘Arghan’, organized jointly by Kala Dīrgha, the international visual art journal (Lucknow), and Gurukul Kala Veethika (Kanpur), witnessed a steady stream of art lovers at the Gurukul Gallery, Azad Nagar, Kanpur. The exhibition showcases a selection of works by senior artist, art educator, and editor of Kala Dīrgha, Awadhesh Mishra.
Mishra, who also serves as a faculty member in the Fine Arts Department at Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow, has exhibited paintings from his prominent series including Grameen Jeevan (Rural Life), Vistapan (Displacement), Nisarg (Nature), Nagar Drishya (Urban Landscapes), Bachpan ki Smritiyan (Childhood Memories), Bijuka (Scarecrow), School Ke Din, Laya, and Bijuka Returns. These works vividly depict various dimensions of Indian culture and evoke a deep, nostalgic engagement with the viewer.
The exhibition, in its essence, represents a culture where a child’s life is interwoven with folk songs from birth to marriage, where festivals rooted in sowing and harvest traditions are celebrated through musical rituals, and where a guest is revered, often even at the host’s own expense. It reflects a time when a relative was shared by an entire village, and elders held the wisdom to make socially binding decisions.
A key highlight of the exhibition is the recurring motif of the Bijuka or scarecrow—transformed from a mere farm guardian to a symbol of societal critique. Mishra, once frightened by scarecrows as a child due to ghost stories, now explores the form as a representation of helplessness and negative power structures. In his evolution of the scarecrow imagery, it no longer wears tattered clothes, but is clad in a tie and coat—sometimes holding a rifle, other times depicted humorously with a crow perched atop its head. These representations question the scarecrow’s loss of meaning and relevance in a rapidly changing world, becoming a metaphor for the weakening of values and authority.
Mishra’s exploration resonates with the verses of renowned poet Agyeya:
“Snake! You never became civilized / Nor did you learn to live in a city / Can I ask one thing (Will you answer?) / Then how did you learn to bite – where did the venom come from?”
The exhibition’s curator, Dr. Leena Mishra, informed that Arghan will remain open to viewers until May 6, 2025, from 3 PM to 7 PM daily.
