Unique exhibition to bring sights of Delhi to Italians

A unique interplay of verse and drawings will bring the spirit of Delhi's landmark sites, old and new, to Italians in a unique exhibition set to begin here early next month.

"The Seduction of Delhi" entwines the poetry of Indian diplomat Abhay K. and paintings of Italian artist Tarshito (Professor Nikola Stripoli) on major sights of the Indian capital including the majestic Lal Qila, the ruins of Purana Qila, 17th-century observatory Jantar Mantar, and the less-known Agrasen Ki Baoli, now overshadowed by the sprawling high rises of Delhi's central business district.

"Soaring/poetry in the sky/unrivalled flight/or a feat/a toast to time/or a calligraphic feat" is Abhy K's ode to the imposing Qutub, and is well completed by Tarshito's inspired visual depiction.

Others include the sprawling Tughlaqabad Fort, the grand tombs of Mughal Emperor Humayun and Avadh's Nawab Wazir Safdarjung, and South Block, which has been the hub of India's government for nearly a century.

The exhibition is being organised by the Indian embassy here at its premises from June 3.

These poetry-paintings on Delhi were exhibited earlier at the National Academy of Art and at the India International Centre in New Delhi and have been published in book form ("The Seduction of Delhi"), released at the Jaipur Literature Festival this year.

Appointed director of the Nehru Centre in London recently, Abhay K is a published poet with five collection of poems to his credit and has recipient of the SAARC Literary Award 2013. Stripoli, a reputed Italian architect and artist focussing on spirituality and the East-West cultural tradition, is a professor at the Academy of Fine Art in Italy's Bari.