Ahead of the eagerly-awaited football World Cup final in Russia on Sunday, Kochi will witness an art show featuring caricatures of football icons of the day – including Neymar Jr, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.
A slide show, at 2 p.m. at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, will present the football caricatures done by noted caricaturists Ramachandra Babu and Thomas Antony.
Both artists, winners of the World Press Cartoon Award, will be present at the venue to give a live demonstration during which the football sensations of the day – France’s Mbappe, Pogba and Croatia’s Luka Modric among others – will be drawn as both teams meet for the title clash a few hours later.
The event is being organised in connection with the closing of a painting exhibition held at Durbar Hall by Teach Art Kochi, an organisation of art teachers. Also on display will be caricatures of political and cultural figures alongside the football stars.
A discussion between the two artists will be moderated by caricaturist Sajjive Balakrishnan.
Ramachandra Babu, native of Kottakkal in Malappuram, is a senior illustrator at the Dubai-based Gulf News while Thomas Antony, hailing from Kottayam, works in Kochi with Metrovartha.