"Animania" a Graphic Arts show curated by Divya Thakur rekindles our love for animals, to create awareness, and our effort to give back to the natural world. To achieve this, she and a group of international artists have worked on graphic art visuals inspired by the animals venerated in Indian Mythology as deities and vahans (vehicles). The exhibition is at the Gallery BMB, Fort, Mumbai, from 24th-28th November. 

The exhibit translates the theme of sacred Indian animals into graphic art through the eyes of 7 individuals including Divya Thakur herself. Other artists include Ingela P Arrhenius (from Sweden), Josh Brill (USA), Christian Montenegro (of Argentina), Leandro Castelao (Argentina), Seijiro Kubo (Japan) and Lokesh Karekar (Mumbai). 

The concept of animal veneration is a prominent aspect in of Indian culture, and while it exists in some other cultures it is not a universal practice. The artists were introduced to this concept and came up with a unique interpretation of their understanding and presented in a very contemporaneous style. some of the animals that form a part of this show are the Tiger (the vahan / vehicle of Goddess Durga), The Peacock (the vahan of Lord Kartikeya), The Lion (a Symbol of Rahu), The Elephant (the vahan of Lord Indra), The Crocodile ( a symbol of Goddess Ganga) amongst others.

Guests present at preview included Rahul Bose, Rahul Khanna, Amol Gupte, Chetan & Roohi Jaikishan, Farah Oomerbhoy, Jamini Ahluwalia, Saloni Lodha, Padmini Mirchandani, Beenu Bawa, Alex & Namita Kuruvilla, Bandana Tiwari, Brian Brown and Julius Macwan.