Cat Calls

Back home,the three chalked out a list of artists who could be roped in for the public art project that will have fibreglass installations of the wild cat across the Capital,from parks to malls. “The project serves a dual purpose — promoting public art and saving the Indian tiger,” says Seth.

Painting the national animal,meanwhile,are 57 artists,including veterans like Anjolie Ela Menon and Satish Gujral,Manu Parekh and Paramjeet Singh,and contemporaries GR Iranna,Arzan Khambatta,Mithu Sen and Paresh Maity. Still in the making at the artists studio,the works will be put on display for three months,beginning December.

“It is important for artists to do their bit for the cause,” says Mithu Sen,who got her fibre-glass tiger last week. She is still contemplating on how to go about the paint work,but it’s an issue she has dealt with. On several occasions earlier,the artist has used fake tiger skin in her art. At Priyanka Dasgupta’s New York studio,meanwhile,the tiger is near-completion. The New York university graduate has painted her tiger in red,with motifs of black rifles painted on its skin,indicating the violence that it is the victim of. Artist Pushkar Thakur is painting his tiger in the army fatigue print. “It represents how the hunter becomes the hunted,” says the artist,who usually works with digital prints. “It was interesting to paint,” he adds.

At her studio in Lado Sarai,Anjum Singh is painting her tiger in shades of yellow and pink. “Since it is going to be exhibited at a public space I wanted it to be bold and eye-catching,” says Singh.

Not all the installations will be dismantled though after the exhibition comes to an end. Artist Anjolie Ela Menon’s tiger,for instance,will continue to be stationed at a public place,and the rest will be distributed among corporates — including DLF,Jindal,Max India,Apollo Tyres,Zee Telefilms and Fortis — to whom the tigers were sold even before the artists started work on them.

“Each work has been sold for Rs 1.5 lakh. It’s a blind sale,where no one knows which tiger will be allotted to them. The distribution will be done through a lucky draw,” says Seth,who is also one of the buyers.