Bhubaneswar, Jan. 27: The colourful form of Lord Jagannath and the many tales and vibrant culture revolving around the deity is a favourite subject of artists and painter Srikant Kishore Barik is no exception.

Barik has showcased his works, depicting the spiritual tales of Lord Jagannath at a solo art exhibition hosted at the Odisha Modern Art Gallery in the city.

In the week-long exhibition, Barik, who paints under the alias "Amayika" has portrayed Lord Jagannath in various forms of the Dasavatar or ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. From depicting him as the Buddha to the mythological hero Ram, Barik has painted Lord Jagannath as the subject of his 30 artworks in acrylic, poster colour and mixed media.

The tales of devotees such as Manika, Salabega and many others are portrayed in his works with the symbolic circular eyes of the idol of Lord Jagannath, that has been used to show the deity's presence in each of his artwork. Barik has also used traditional art style in the depiction of the characters.

"I have been working since the last two decades on the theme of Lord Jagannath and displayed my works in seven solo art exhibitions. Through my artworks, I wish to document the various shades of Lord Jagannath as seen in the ancient legends and in the traditions of the Jagannath Temple in Puri," said Barik.

Hailing from Jeypore, the 43-year-old artist is an alumnus of Khallikote Art College. He spends most of his time in Bhubaneswar and is involved in the art and designing segment of various events.

The exhibition was inaugurated on January 23 and will conclude tomorrow. Visitors were happy to see artworks based on a devotional theme.

"The works are not contemporary or purely traditional in style. But, the themes are quite interesting. We would love to see contemporary art on the same theme from the artist," said Samrat Puhan, an art lover.