Birendra Pani's Neo-Urban Avatar Reimagines Mythology

Birendra Pani is an artist from Odisha who has been creating art for nearly 35 years.

His latest exhibition, 'Neo-Urban Avatar: A Mythopoesis of the Contemporary Times-II,' is being held at the India International Centre in New Delhi.

The exhibition features 80 works that explore themes of urbanisation, memory, mythology, and the human condition.

Pani's art seeks to imagine a path towards ecological and ethical restoration, rather than just critiquing modern civilisation.

He uses recurring motifs like capsules, hearts, brains, and a hexagonal cube to represent society's issues.

His later works draw inspiration from Odisha's indigenous cultural traditions and reimagine Vishnu's avatars as metaphors for humanity's struggles.

The exhibition also includes a melting clock symbolising the instability of our era.

Pani has had 16 solo exhibitions and participated in over 350 group exhibitions globally.

He uses his art to remind viewers that the future of civilisation depends on finding balance and self-transformation.