Art of many worlds
KOCHI: Trace, an ongoing group exhibition by six alumni of RLV College of Music and Fine Arts at Durbar Hall Art Gallery reflects a deep understanding of their surroundings. From the perils of deforestation to sketching the toys of baby, the artists delve into a range of issues—both personal and political. The primary emphasis of all six collaborators seems to be their both literal and symbolic employment of soil or Earth.
The first set of frames greeting visitors as they enter the Gallery D of Durbar Hall are 66 monochrome sketches by Sajeesh P A. Tattered pieces of rice paper, pasted on 12x12 inch canvases are stained with soil. Blotches of mud pepper the frames rendered in charcoal drawings. At the outset, each sketch looks seemingly mundane, as if reflecting scenes from every day but closer inspection reveals sinister and surreal motifs. A gigantic snail sits on a chair, a man carries a sack with protruding human legs, several men piggyback on each other.
Five large woodcut prints by Satheesh K K continue the theme introduced by Sajeesh. Also executed on rice paper, the ‘Hounding Memories’ series are portraits of horror and desolation on the faces of the farming and working-class members of the society. Satheesh is quite overtly foregrounding the drudgery endured by the people living on the margins. “I have tried to recreate faces that continued to haunt me, long after I came across them either in real life or in media,” says Satheesh.
With just two works, Sajith Puthukkalavattom manages to seize the attention of the viewer using a large canvas. One of an egg surrounded by logs of wood is a powerful commentary on deforestation. “Sajith uses various mediums to talk about ecopolitics. He is preoccupied with how man-made destruction is endangering other species on the planet,” says fellow artist Satheesh.
Jagesh Edakkad’s series of miniature watercolour paintings featuring toys and clothes belonging to his infant daughter is a deeply personal documentation of the child’s nascent life. Candy coloured dolls, rubber ducks, hats, rattlers, hair bands and dresses are starkly contrasted with a deep brown background that signifies the ground. “My previous works have mostly been landscapes but when my daughter was born, I realised that painting things she uses gave me immense joy as it was very personal. The background signifies the bond we humans have with the earth,” says Jagesh.
Complimenting Jagesh’s paintings are Akhil Mohan’s charcoal sketches on paper which also portray his newborn son’s toys. The only 3D works in the exhibit are terracotta sculptures by Prakasan K S. Focusing on the myths and legends and festivals that formed the ancient oral folklore of a quintessential Kerala village, Prakasan has fashioned snails, fishes, hens and monkeys transforming into fantastical creatures.