Members of the Hindu Students Organization (HSU) showcased art of all mediums representing their beliefs Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Hindu Arts Exhibition in the Honors Hall.
Fifteen students entered their artwork, which ranged from pencil drawings of sacred Hindu animals to ceramic faces of deities.
Cierra Dennis, a junior international and world businesses major and HSU member, created a piece entitled “Tough as a Peacock Feather.” Her piece featured a pencil drawing of a feather, which has several different meanings in Hinduism, such as prosperity, kindness, wealth and strength.
“I did not know too much about the Hindu culture, and I thought, what better way to do that than through art,” Dennis said. “That was my inspiration for the piece, wanting to learn more and to get more involved. I’ve learned a lot through making the piece.”
“When I think of feathers, I usually think of beauty and delicateness. However, upon further consideration, I realized these are the characteristics of truly strong beings, and I tried to reflect that in this piece,” Dennis wrote in her personal statement accompanied by her piece of art.
Chetana Wilson, who serves as the coordinator of recruitment and student engagement for the Helen Hardin Honors College, created most of the pieces displayed in the art show. Wilson attributes her artistic tenacity to the emotional reward she receives from every piece of art she makes.
One of her pieces is of Mahadev, who is considered the god of gods, a superior deity, as Wilson describes her. This piece portrays Mahadev, who revered in a sect of Hinduism called Shaivism, reflecting on her divine father.
“I have such love for the deities they portray,” Wilson said, “and I feel like I can only capture a glimpse of that in each artwork.”
Several students attended the event, most of which were Hindu.
“It caught our interest that this was a painting event relative to Hindu art,” said Melish Kayastha, a PhD student, who especially liked the pencil drawing piece of Maa Kali, entitled “Amma,” which means mother. “Kali is generally considered as an angry goddess. I kind of make fun of my mother when seeing it, so I connected with it.”
Bidhya Shrestha, another student of the Hindu faith, also enjoyed the exhibition.
“I like the Ganesha painting because personally I like him. I worship him,” Shrestha said.
Other pieces of art related to the Hindu culture were featured, many of them depicting deities, gods and goddesses. There were several pencil pieces, some paintings and a ceramic face of a deity.
