Bengaluru-Based Artist Turns Pothole Into a Menacing Mosquito

If you happen to be on the road behind Hotel Dasaprakash Paradise in Mysuru, you are likely to spot a mosquito, quite unlike the ones we regularly encounter.

The monstrous creature with its needle sticking out, mouth wide open and yellow eyes staring menacingly at you, makes for a formidable sight.

Only, it is not real but an art work by Bengaluru-based artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy.

Baadal, who hails from Mysuru, is known for his artwork drawing attention to civic issues. Remember the crocodile on Bengaluru's streets?

Keeping in mind the rising number of dengue cases in the state, Baadal on Thursday morning took to the streets of Mysuru to highlight the issue.

I had just spotted this pothole. Since I always highlight current issues, I decided to go with this idea. I am addressing two issues here – dengue and potholes... I didn’t want to disturb the traffic

Baadal Nanjundaswamy.

The time taken to complete a piece of art varies from project to project, and this dengue pothole took Baadal less than half an hour to finish.

Passersby who witness Baadal in action are always encouraging and supportive, he adds. Mysuru, like many other places in India, has seen a spurt in the number of dengue cases. By June 2017, around 200 people had tested positive for dengue in the district.

While Baadal's creations frequently do rounds on the internet, just recently it caught the attention of Anand Mahindra.

On Tuesday, the Executive Chairman of Mahindra Group tweeted a number of "street art" by Baadal.

Yesterday I tweeted how Ukrainians dealt with potholes. Here's how we creative Indians turn our liabilities into--literally--'street art!' pic.twitter.com/Luz2N7l3hz

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 1, 2017

He, however, at the time, didn't seem to know that the artist was Baadal. After Twitter users pointed out the artist's name, Anand Mahindra tweeted again, stating that he was interested in supporting his creativity through their foundation.

Can someone put me in touch with him? Perhaps we can support his creativity through our foundation https://t.co/6HHFBmvTIV

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 1, 2017

Your work is exciting, @baadalvirus Thank you for your contact details. I will be in touch... https://t.co/ZtanfFUnKE

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 1, 2017

(This article was originally published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)

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