Visitors at the photography and painting exhibition organised by the Odisha Biodiversity Board at Lalit Kala Akademi in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, May 22: Contrasting images of flora and fauna along water bodies and disturbing paintings on depleting ground water are on display an art exhibition to observe the International Day for Biological Diversity.

The Odisha Biodiversity Board organised a three-day photo and painting exhibition titled “Life in water” that started today at the regional centre of Lalit Kala Akademi.

The photographs were more about timing than technique. Rare images such as that of a white-bellied eagle preying on a sea snake in Chilika lake, a snake gulping a fish or a boat careening wildly in the dark fascinated visitors.

Close-ups of red crabs, pipe fish, mating toads, Irrawaddy dolphins and wide-angle shots of birds such as jacana, tern, moorhen, pratincole were equally good.

There were other photographs clicked at Bhitarkanika and Simlipal national parks.

Fishermen were caught in action by the shutterbugs while netting and counting their catch and returning home at dusk. The photographs were both in colour and black and white.

While they mirrored beauty, paintings narrated the grim reality of depleting water resources. Using water, acrylic, pencil and mix media, amateur as well as professional artists drew images of fishes, turtles and other aquatic creatures. A fish bowl kept in a desert where birds of prey were trying to break the glass and another painting showcasing sparrows lurking around a droplet made for striking spectacles.

Use of various shades of blue rendered a feel of tranquillity to the paintings. One serene imagery was of Mother Nature breast-feeding a tiger cub and an infant reminding us that humans don’t own the Earth.

The works were a result of a competition where photographers and painters were invited to participate. They were given themes such as freshwater and marine landscapes, beaches, habitation, marine flora and fauna, agro biodiversity in aquatic, marshes and people.

Of over a hundred photographs and paintings submitted in each category, only 65 photographs and 36 paintings were selected for exhibition. The best contributions were awarded.

Organisers said the exhibition would create awareness about biodiversity in the state. The visitors, too, appreciated the initiative. “Every painting and photograph had a story to tell. It was amazing to see how Odisha has so many picturesque locations and yet we look for getaways elsewhere,” said visitor Sandhya Patnaik.