Tamil artist explores cultural identity of the bull

At a time when the bull-taming sport Jallikattu is making headlines, Tamil artist Elanchezhiyan Pichaikannu is attempting to re-establish the social and cultural identity of the bull in his new show.
The exhibition titled "The Eternal Waiting" has on display 18 bronze sculptures of a bull in different avatars - complex, acrobatic and graceful, underlining the relevance of the animal in the sport as well as the cultural traditions of southern India.
One of the statues at Pichaikannu's show underway at Gallery Art Positive here, portrays the bull ready for a Jallikattu race.
The artist who admits that the bull-taming sport is part of the region's culture, feels that it has gradually been transformed into an act of cruelty against the animal and must be practised without making it vicious.

"Jallikattu is associated with the Pongal, which is celebrated with vibrant dance and song performances. Another highlight of the festival is the magnificent bull fight.
"The real meaning of Jallikattu is 'holding the bull', which is part of the culture, but people have made it into a cruel act. Now, the government has to make sure it is practised without making it vicious," says the artist.

He is also drawn to the aesthetics and the structure of the bull and has an adulation for other livestock animals like ox, cows, buffaloes as they provide human beings with their basic source of livelihood.

"Of all the animals that are reared, ox, cows, buffaloes are the most important animals as they provide man with his basic requirements. We use ox for agriculture and cows and buffaloes for breeding purposes," he says.
For him, making these sculptures takes him back to his childhood days when they treated the bull as part of the family and even worshipped it.
"I could feel the intensity because I come from an agrarian family. We treat bulls as part of the family and even worship them. The prime example is the 'Nandi' statue that is seen in every Shiva temple.

"We can also find images of cows and bulls in many cave paintings and folklores. It gives me immense joy in sculpting the bulls using my imagination. It reminds me of the all the memories I had with the animal," he says.
According to Anu Bajaj, the director of the gallery, "The medium of bronze celebrates life and the sculptures are a tribute to the animal."
The show is set to continue till February 25.