All images courtesy of Pranav Gohil and St+art India Foundation, shared with permission
Four hardy plants soar toward the Mumbai skyline in a new series of murals by Swiss artist Mona Caron (previously). Known for her stunning portrayals of weeds and botanicals thought of as ugly or undesirable, Caron celebrates the resilient specimens native to India that are often found poking through the concrete and along dusty roadsides.
Taking its title from the name of the vegetation, Kurdu, Takla, Chhota Kalpa, Kantakari brings together four medicinal plants that burst through the urban environment despite the harsh conditions. “Unflinching, Kurdu won’t even bother to pick a sheltered spot. No matter how destroyed the terrain, right in everyone’s way, like a cow ambling across a busy Mumbai street, it gently floats the sacred into the midst of our daily chaos, mostly skirted unnoticed,” Caron shares.
The works celebrate this strength and determination and advocate for recognizing their worth. “It takes closeness to the earth to harvest its blessings; it takes traditional knowledge to know the best way to. Let’s honor this wisdom which persists at the grassroots of this bursting metropolis, against all pressures to uproot,” she says.
These murals were created as part of this year’s Mumbai Urban Art Festival organized by St+art India Foundation. Find more from Caron on her site and Instagram.
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Source: Art - thisiscolossal.com
