Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Italian artist's Mahabharata series set to come to life via Art-ma's new virtual gallery

SPIRITUAL art gallery Art-ma will bring the Mahabharata to life next week through a virtual exhibition of vivid, large-scale paintings by Italian artist Giampaolo Tomassetti.

Described as an “amalgamation of the east and west”, The Mahabharata Collection can be viewed in an interactive virtual gallery via the Art-ma website from Wednesday (12), marking the Hindu festival of Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna.


It promises to be visual treat with 24 monumental pieces and a world exclusive work that will depict scenes that lead up to the Kurukshetra war, the central theme of the Mahabharata.

Tomassetti believes the epic remains relevant even today, as it is “a true representation of human nature”. His works aim to increase awareness on Indian culture, and encourage people’s spiritual growth by inspiring them to “look inwards for the happiness that they seek”.

Born and raised in Italy, Tomassetti had developed “an early curiosity about spirituality” and that led him to form “a deep connection with Vedic culture”.

He frequently travelled to India, and delved into Vedic texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Tomassetti lived as a monk for nine years within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness under the adopted name of Jnananjana Dasa, and also illustrated several books by spiritual guru Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Tomassetti began work on the Mahabharata series in 2008, and took five years to complete the project. As an artist who grew up admiring the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art forms, his treatment and style have a distinct European aesthetic.

Classical art form, he believed, was the best way to depict the Mahabharata.

“After reading ancient Vedic scriptures, practising renunciation and making several trips to India, I got close to the culture that produced great literature like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana,” he said.

“To me, the main teaching of the Mahabharata is that we can be inspired by it to change our life into a more advanced ethic, moral, ecological and happy society.”

Tomassetti added that he was “happy and proud” to associate with Art-ma, which promotes “human and spiritual values” through art.

“Art-ma represents the joining of art and spirituality together, and I want to encourage this, as I feel this will benefit humanity,” he said, noting that the gallery derived its name from the Sanskrit term ‘aatma’, which means the spirit-soul residing within each and every living entity.

Modelled on an art gallery in Tuscany, Italy, that houses the original artworks, Art-ma’s virtual gallery has been custom-built in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University’s department of media, arts and communications.

Organisers said the exhibition, with a guided tour option, will also have embedded videos and text explaining the artworks as well as the story of the Mahabharata.

Reena Popat, co-founder of Art-ma, said the new gallery was created with “the sole purpose of sharing these extraordinary works of art” across the world.

“We want to share the lessons learnt from the Mahabharata that are relevant today across all races and generations,” she added.

The virtual exhibition will be on from August 12 to September 12.

More For You

Milton-Keynes

Eyewitnesses described hearing shouting before the shooting

iStock

Man shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes railway station

A MAN was shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes Central station after reports that he was carrying a firearm.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said officers were called to the station at 12:55, where they challenged a suspect carrying a knife. The man moved towards officers before police fired at him.

Keep ReadingShow less
EXCLUSIVE: Eastern Eye wins press freedoms to help judges

SCRUTINY: The tribunal’s favourable verdict is an important win for accountability, say current and retired Asian judges (Pic credit: Getty Images/Leon Neal)

EXCLUSIVE: Eastern Eye wins press freedoms to help judges

A tribunal has ordered the body which appoints judges in England and Wales to disclose records it refused to give to Eastern Eye.

The decision is a major victory for press freedoms because it forces the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to become more open and transparent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunita-Williams-Reuters

Sunita Williams was part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission and had been stranded in space for over nine months. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters)

India looks amazing from space, says Sunita Williams

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams described India as "amazing" from space and expressed her intention to visit her "father's home country" to share her experiences on space exploration.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, she responded to a question about how India appeared from space and the possibility of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Keep ReadingShow less
british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less