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An epic 2,500km journey along India's sacred Ganges river

An extraordinary 2,500km journey along India’s sacred Ganges river will be depicted in a significant new exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery this November.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist.

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist.

In its only UK presentation, Ganga 21 is a series of oil paintings by acclaimed Australian artist Kevin Pearsh, capturing his experiences in travelling the Ganges from its source, deep in the Himalayas, to its end at the Bay of Bengal. Together, the 21 canvases capture both the diversity of this great landscape but also the profound religious significance of the river, considered to be the mother of Hinduism.

Pearsh conceived of the idea to travel the entire length of the Ganges in 2006, beginning in the spring of that year in a remote ice cave at Gaumukh, high in the snow-capped mountains. From there he hiked to Gangotri, resuming the journey in October by boat and road to reach Varanasi. A third mission in 2007 saw him reach the Ganges Delta, where the vast river pours into the Indian Ocean. Pearsh made daily watercolour sketches – using water from the Ganges – and photographed over 2,000 scenes before choosing the final 21 from which to develop his canvases.

Entry is free. Runs until 18 November 2013 at Waterhall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham B3 3DH.

Colourful oil painting depicting a crowded riverbank scene with boats, buildings and numerous figures in vibrant clothing gathered along the water's edge
Snow-capped mountain peaks rising dramatically against a blue sky, with green alpine meadows in the foreground, from Kevin Pearsh's Ganga 21 series
Buddhist monk in saffron robes standing on colourful painted steps beside white rocks at the Ganges riverbank
A figure stands on a grassy peninsula overlooking a bend in a river at sunset, with mountains visible across the water and trees dotting the landscape in golden and blue tones
Two golden boats float on the deep blue waters of the Ganges river, painted in Kevin Pearsh's oil painting series documenting his 2,500km journey along India's sacred river
Abstract oil painting with swirling blue, yellow, orange and green brushstrokes reflecting water and light on the Ganges river
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