Artworks on display at the exhibition on the 12th foundation day celebrations of the Utkal University of Culture in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 4: The Utkal University of Culture presented a cultural extravaganza during the 12th foundation day celebrations of the varsity that began on Tuesday.

The two-day winter festival being held on the university campus features hundreds of installations, sculptures, paintings and graphic art.

A splash of colours, ideas and creativity have enlivened the quiet campus and students are in high spirits.

The sculpture department showcases around 50 artworks by students that are innovative and ingenious in more ways than one.

Priyabrata Das has portrayed an interesting work of fibre and metal. Das has created two huge coils in green and maroon that do not seem to have any effect on the mosquitoes.

“I placed two huge mosquitoes here to show that these coils that spread pollution are as harmful as mosquitoes and flies,” says Das.

Rajesh Kumar Pradhan from the painting department has created an impressive kitsch graffiti, also known as trash art.

The youngster has created a dummy toilet with plaster of Paris and thermocol. All around the walls of this toilet and inside it, one finds shabby inscriptions as in public toilets.

He has also depicted beetel juice stains and rubbish usually found in public toilets. Phone numbers, sleazy words, names, crude drawings; they’re all there in Pradhan’s innovative work.

The other novel creations are Lalat Kishore Pradhan’s kite, wristwatch, and a camera with a human eye; Smruti Kant Rout’s fibre anaconda, Gyanaranjan Panda’s bagh bahadur statue, which depicts a man painted as a tiger, and Priyaranjan Mohanty’s wool installation. A number of interesting paintings and graphic art are also on display.

Among other events held on Tuesday was a touching play staged by students of the drama department. Based on O’Neil’s Monkey’s Paw, the play titled ‘Pipasa’ was written by Devanand Nayak and Maya Das.

Nayak also directed the play. Disciples of flautist Mohini Mohan Patnaik and Odissi music exponent Ramhari Das also presented vibrant recitals on the occasion.

The events continue till Wednesday.