KOCHI: One of the most prominent artists of the modern era, Vivan Sundaram, has bid adieu to this world on Wednesday, but his artworks on display at the Kochi Muziris Biennale remain a testament to his rare talent and ideology.
Works from the drawing series ‘A Journey to Mexico’ and ‘The Heights of Machu Picchu’ are on display at Fort Kochi Aspinwall House, and they narrate to the viewers his uncompromising stance on socio-political issues.
The journey once made by the artist from Cancun to Mexico City forms the premise for the series ‘A Journey to Mexico’. Through the drawings, the artist, who embodied Mayan temple architecture, its sculptures, aesthetically pleasing wall carvings, and mosaics, presents a periscopic view of Mexico’s geographical past along with its remnants. The pyramid-shaped temples in the artworks remind one of the power and control wielded by the rulers of the day.
‘The Heights of Machu Picchu’ presents selected works from the series which contain 25 drawings. Vivan created the series as a homage to the poem by the same name conceived by renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in 1944. Like the poem, the drawings are also famous. One sees the rise and fall of civilisations. Physical movements are prominently depicted in the drawings.
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The picture of a bony slave snoring with his mouth open like an abyss can be seen beneath the ornamental decoration of ‘Machu Picchu’. Through it, the artwork reveals a viewpoint that is different and of a uniquely high level.
A prominent personality among the noted illustrators in the country, Vivan, was a part of the very first edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale as well.