Artist Sujith S N’s works at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale draw inspiration from an unlikely historical source — a centuries-old botanical text that documents Kerala’s traditional medical knowledge.
Hortus Malabaricus, an ancient compendium that catalogued the medicinal plants of the Malabar region, is at the centre of his work. The book, which employed multiple scripts, including Malayalam and Arabi Malayalam, recorded indigenous healing practices and the ecological wealth of the region at a time when its natural landscape remained largely undisturbed.
For Sujith, this historical work becomes a lens to view the present. He describes Kerala’s terrain as a “living botanical garden” that has managed to survive waves of environmental destruction.
Titled ‘Elsewhere or Otherwise’, his paintings are based on this idea of endurance, where the landscape is not merely scenery, but a carrier of memory.
Rather than reproducing botanical illustrations, he uses the landscape to explore broader concerns such as violence, hierarchy and geopolitics. Hills, plants and water bodies become sites of political and social tensions, suggesting that nature itself bears the imprint of human conflict and power structures.
At the same time, Sujith resists fixing a single meaning for his paintings and prefers to leave room for viewer’s imagination. “I don’t insist that the viewer should take home exactly what I intended,” he says.
“I see my work like a runway for a plane to take off. Once it is there, the viewer has the freedom to unravel the mystery of the painting. That is where imagination takes over.”
He also stresses that his work should remain accessible beyond elite art circles. “Paintings have a way of communicating like no other art form. It has an imaginative possibility that allows people to enter it in their own way.”
However, he adds that a basic familiarity with the theme behind a work can deepen that engagement. It makes it easier to enter that world.”
His own practice has evolved steadily over the years, particularly in the way he approaches colour. Early in his career, Sujith worked with a more saturated, rust-toned palette dominated by shades such as indigo. “When you use certain colours exclusively, people start identifying your work with that palette,” he says. “Initially, it felt good that people were recognising my style. Later, I realised I was putting myself in a box.
This prompted a deliberate shift. He began working with warmer hues. “It was about breaking out of my mould,” he says. “In the same way, I have worked on clustered landscapes and minimal imageries. The idea is to reinvent yourself and evolve, and not be predictable.”
For Sujith, success as an artist is defined by the afterlife of the work itself. “My paintings should outlive me. The ideas should age well.” And, he adds, sincerity is central to all of it.
Sujith believes platforms such as large art fairs are crucial for contemporary artists, especially those working outside mainstream centres.
“It gives visibility and also a chance to understand how your work is read in a different context,” he says.
Interactions with diverse audiences — from seasoned collectors to first-time visitors — become part of the artistic journey itself.