Olivia Fraser

Olivia Fraser has depicted Krishna (Vishnu's avatar) as a mango tree with mangoes ripening towards the central tree trunk and cows confronting the tree to worship him. This follows a traditional iconographic representation of Krishna surrounded by his cows (being a cowherd). In the usual iconography called 'Goduli Bela' Krishna plays the flute and his cows all gather around, entranced by the glorious sound.

Trees are frequently associated with gods in India and there are different tales and myths about them in different regions of the country. In Rajasthan, there is a story that Shiva and Parvati were making love when they were interrupted by some other gods. Furious, Parvati cursed them and they became trees: Brahma became a Peepal tree and Vishnu became a Mango tree.

The circle represents a heavenly or sacred space. As the tree is the god Krishna, Olivia has depicted the canopy of leaves in a circular manner. She has also put three circles in the cows (likewise, a sacred animal). Cows in Rajasthan are often painted with spots (or hands) during the festival of Holi.