The Narrator, Protagonist & the Other brings together a group of artists, who in their deliberate usage of cross-referencing and intertexuality, addresses the ever-increasing plurality of contemporary culture. In a similar style to many post-modern literary works, these artists point to early paintings by both Western and Indian masters as inspiration for their experiments with narrative and structure.
Included in this exhibition art Indian artists Farhad Hussain, Nayanaa Kanodia, Murali Cheeroth and Vivek Vilasini.
Farhad Hussain is most famous for his portrayal of the changing urban cultural mores of India. His paintings reflect his interest in issues faced by the average middleclass family in India. What sets him apart from other contemporary paintings is his visual language that combines people, animals and nature through a strong geometrical patterning style and texture. His brightly coloured figures are distinct and unmistakable; a staggering number of characters populate his canvases as the central structure of his paintings. Masterfully, Hussain creates his own story by incorporating associative symbolism from the mass media, as well as historical references, overlaying it with self portraiture to create an environment of satire and critique.
Dedicated in portraying contemporary society in all its multi-faceted glory is Nayanaa Kanodia. In her signature farcical, tongue-in-cheek style, she introduces archetypal figures like the 'typical' Indian middle class extended family; the modern Indian couple invaded by Western culture and modem amenities whilst still retaining their roots and traditions: as well as the upper middle class who is preoccupied by closely monitoring Art auctions. Kanodia uses prominent figures and incorporates iconic works by both European and Indian Masters in her paintings. Each painting involves careful planning, research and execution which cleverly explore intertextuality and cross-referencing through her documental style.
In Murali Cheeroth we see a surrealistic convergence of two worlds: the world of reality and the world of constructed realities. These two worlds collide to form a motley of phantasmagoria spectacle that moves between the real teal' and the imagined 'real'. Cheeroth studies the multiple layers of urban identities that manifest in various images from daily life to the rapid development of urban sites. It is the interplay of these multiple images, together with the imagined, that Murali uses to collapse the boundaries of these two worlds. In doing so, Cheeroth effectively captures the outer layers of urban spaces whilst simuttaneously reflecting on post-modern notions of reality through an amalgamation of hyper-real figuration' and abstraction.
Vivek Vilasini makes use of traditional theatrical forms as a platform to stage the dramatics of contemporary world politics. His works, through his creation of micro-worlds, question existing social structures and various expressions of cultural identity which are prevalent in society today. Through satire, irony and pastiche, Vilasini constructs a melange of images that ensure that parallel histories, subversive histories and fringe histories have a voice in his micro-world.
About the Artists
Farhad Hussain (b. 1975, Jamshedpur)
A 2003 graduate from Santiniketan, Hussain went on to complete his postgraduate diploma from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda in 2005. The artist was the 2004 recipient of the Nasreen Mohamedi scholarship. The Indian Art College Art Exhibition has also awarded him the prize for best watercolour in 1998. Farhad has participated in several group shows in Baroda. Mumbai and Kolkata.
Nayanaa Kanodia (b. 1950, Ptme)
Nayanaa is the first Indian of Non British origin whose works are in the collection of the "Paintings in Hospitals- UK. In 1998 she was selected by the Commonwealth Institute for a solo show in their newly renovated complex in London. In 2001 she was invited by Victoria & Albert Museum London to exhibit her works and give a demonstration of her painting technique.
Murali Cheeroth (b.1966, Kerala)
Cheeroth received his BFA and MFA in Painting from Shantiniketan and was the recipient of the Kerala State Laid Kara Akademi Award (1998). He also held a Junior National Research Fellowship from 1997-1999. Cheeroth looks to development, re-construction and infrastructure as subject matter for his bold visual language. His work often engages with the notion of an urban identity as he examines the ever-changing interstices of local and global identities.
Vivek Vilasini (b. Kerala)
Vivek Vilasini trained as a Marine Radio Officer in Kochi, and then obtained a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Kerala University in 1987 before fuming to art and studying sculpture from traditional Indian craftspeople. In his work Vilasini examines our existing social structures, adapting various expressions of cultural identity prevalent in society today to raise questions about the continualry changing global scenario that every individual struggles to keep pace with. Vilasini's large-format photographs evoke delicate ironies that impact existing ideologies, and influence the cultural and social consciousness of the viewer.
