A striking 50ft-long areca plantation rises against the weathered remains of an old Malabar landscape as one navigates the sprawling Aspinwall House venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Rekindling nostalgia, it makes one pause and ponder.
Titled ‘Wiping Out’, this work by R B Shajith is the largest painting on display at the sixth edition of the Biennale. Part of his long-running series under the same title, the painting unfolds as an immersive meditation on development, ecological erosion, and deep-rooted memories.
“This painting reflects the land I grew up in and how it underwent drastic transformation because of development over just a few years,” says Shajith, who hails from Malapattam village in Kannur.
Work took him to Thiruvananthapuram, where he works with the state government’s Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT). Distance from ‘home’ sharpened his awareness of change.
Streams becoming roads, open land turning into concrete complexes — shifts are often cloaked in the diction of progress. “This may be what development means to some,” Shajith shrugs. “Certainly not to me.”
Any development or modern intervention, he adds, must happen “with inclusion and consideration for nature, landscape and the ecosystem”. Shajith is well aware that this sounds utopian, but insists that a “sensitive approach” can make a huge difference.
His concern lies not merely in destruction and construction, but in the silent erasures that accompany it. Through ‘Wiping Out’, he hopes viewers pause to consider “what is being lost, and how concerned we should be about that loss”.
Shajith’s series consists of 56 paintings, of which two have been presented at the Biennale. The second is a miniature of his magnum opus.
Scale plays a crucial role in the twin-frame painting’s impact. Primarily a watercolour artist, Shajith shifted to oil and acrylic for this work on canvas. “It was unconventional, but also lively,” he says.
Like much of his practice, the painting began as “a small study” — the 2ft x 1.5ft miniature on display — before expanding organically. “My paintings are not rigidly planned. The process feels like play. Sometimes, it’s a trip that can go on and on. The image becomes clearer as it moves through different stages,” says Shajith, a three-time Lalithakala Akademi award winner.
His influences for the work range from Mughal miniature traditions to masters such as Monet and Van Gogh. Shajith believes painting must be “a multi-sensory experience, where texture, scale and detail invite deep engagement”.
“In this case, the painting’s size enhances viewer engagement and the overall experience. It draws them to feel immersed within the painted landscape, evoking a sense of smallness in the larger scheme of things around,” he says.
One of 10 artists from Kerala selected to represent India at the Biennale, Shajith describes the experience as overwhelming. “When I first got a call from the curatorial team, I was working at a rented studio in Alappuzha. Thereon, there were some interviews. And finally, my work was chosen,” he says.
“It was here that I finally saw my work as one composite painting. If the work sparks a conversation — or even just thought — on the cost of development that we pay, my mission as an artist is a success.”
A Family Affair
While R B Shajith basked in attention at the Biennale with this edition’s largest painting, his artist wife Smitha M Babu took centre stage in a different form. Along with their children Akira and Rivera, she recently presented a two-day theatrical performance titled Paakkalam.
The title refers to the space where coir is twisted into rope, and the performance explored the labour, life and politics embedded in coir manufacturing, particularly the impact of privatisation.
“Originally conceived as a painting series, Paakkalam evolved into a performative work as I searched for ways to make my art more accessible and immersive,” says Smitha.
“Music, props and collaborations eventually led to performance art. It emerged as a natural extension of my visual practice.”
While Akira, 18, performed in the piece, 13-year-old Rivera chipped in with the production team. Shajith supported the performance backstage.
The couple’s story adds a rare romantic layer to the Biennale. Shajith and Smitha met at the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, where their professional collaboration began. That bonding over art eventually united them in life.
Over the years, they have exhibited together and also made history as the first husband-and-wife duo to win Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Awards in the same year (2021).
Now, they mark another first: an entire family participates across different formats at the Biennale.
Crime Busters
Shajith and Smitha played a crucial role in cracking a child abduction case in Kollam, where the couple reside, in 2023. The police frantically approached them for an urgent sketch of the suspect. The duo volunteered to assist.
“It was both scary and exciting,” says Shajith, recalling that the primary source was “a traumatised six-year-old”. The sketch, he adds, eventually led to the culprit’s arrest.