The Fragmented Realities

‘Aadu kadicha Elakal’, an exhibition of photographs by S Sudayadas being conducted at the museum gallery, showcases 44 of his spellbinding clicks

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Elephant in all its glory may not catch S Sudayadas’s fancy, but the pink and black trunk flashing in the water sure did. And it is this unique talent for finding the unusual in the mundane that makes this photographer special. For Sudayadas - a painter graduated from Fine Arts College – photography was something that he had stumbled upon during his artistic journey. ‘Aadu kadicha Elakal’, an exhibition of photographs being conducted at the museum gallery, showcases 44 of Sudayadas’ clicks.

With his debut solo-exhibition, this shutterbug is making a statement by giving a unique tagline to his show, ‘an exhibition without any hidden agendas’. Eight of Sudayadas’ favourite people from various walks of life inaugurated the show on May 14.

“I don’t do intense planning or meticulous decision making. I don’t even know how to talk about my works. I will rather have others comment on them,” says Sudayadas, who makes the drama artist, T Parvathi to divulge on the subject. And Parvathi instantly points out the unusual framings and abstract styling of his works. According to her the artist in Sudayadas is quite evident in all of them. And one wouldn’t hesitate to agree with her.

Whether it is the striking palm trees standing tall in the twilight blue or the shadows of leaves floating on the lake, Sudayadas’ pictures neither follow any rules nor are they amateurish. Instead, he creates perfect harmony by deftly playing with nature’s colours. It is those vignettes he had recorded in his travels that are being displayed here in the show.

From the shocked expression of the bearded man sipping his morning tea or the wisps of smoke permeating from a single cigarette, Sudayadas’ frames are quite loquacious. The age lines etched on the Paatti’s (old Tamil lady) face are visible from a distance. The black and white photo of her stands out for its sheer portrait quality.

It is not the man or the things that attract Sudaydas but the seamless blend of colours and the frenzy. His searches for such hues, end in spellbinding imagery, such as the ‘Pulikkali’ snap with a dash of yellow in it or the one with the lustrous gold mirroring the sea.

“I was not planning to conduct any exhibitions. But my friends who had seen my works prompted me to conduct one and thus it happened,” says Sudayadas. When asked why he had given such a name for a photo exhibition, he says, his works do not belong to any particular genre, rather they are excerpts from what he had experienced over the past few years.

“I wanted a few people I love and respect to be a part of my endeavour, so I have asked Kattoor Narayanapillai, who was my teacher at Fine Arts College, K G Jayan, Bina Paul Venugopal, B Murali, K R Manoj, M G Jyothish, K P Muraleedharan and T Parvathi, to inaugurate the function,” says Sudayadas.

Sudayadas, who had conducted many group art shows is planning a solo painting exhibition. The photo-exhibition is on till May 18

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