TRADITIONAL ‘Sita- Bhoomiputri and other stories’ is a collection of mural art

Curated by Latha Kurian Rajeev, it is the presentation of Kerala murals in a rather, not new, but different scenario. A scenario that enables the artist and viewer to grasp the details in a different light, the artist’s perspective that is transferred to the beholder/viewer.

Choosing a theme pertaining to Sita makes it even more exciting. Of a woman, an enchanting figure of the Ramayana. Sita embodies truth, passion, fear, pain, love: those characteristics that a woman holds within her soul. She is the epitome of feminity.

Something which curator Latha believes takes creativity to a new threshold. When placed in the hands of male artists, it then unfolds with elements that only a man views in a woman.

An art historian, her argument moves further saying that unlike other artists like Bengalis, the Malayali tends to forget his roots in search of trend, the new rush of contemporary art. Mural art was thus deliberate a choice. “We must be proud of our heritage and tradition must not be forgotten.”

Infused with contemporary elements and washed with a touch of surrealism, the 27 works by nine artists take upon a different dimension of things. Ajithan Puthumana, Babu KR, Basanth Peringode, Gopi Chevayur, Krishna K. S., Sadaanandan, Saju Thuruthil, Suresh K. Nair and Suresh Muthukulam explain their believes and impressions without eschewing the originality that emerges from traditional mural work. Mural paintings do follow a certain style and parameter as we see in our temples and ancient palaces.

The essence, however, also remains in not loosing this flavour, not deviating from their original lines of construction, but contemporary mural work perhaps arises out of enhancing this with modern concepts of working styles. ‘Bhoomiyum bhoomiputriyum’ by Suresh Muthukulam explicates Sita and her connection to nature described her as a large figure of Mother Nature, ‘Dissolving into nature’ by Suresh K. Nair also explains the same concept from a very different perspective, the idea translated in ‘muralism’ but by adapting a varied version of it.

Highly individualistic portrayal of the subject also adds dimension to each of the paintings, detailing is vivid and colour exploration strong. Latha explains that each artist has come back with his own interpretation of stories/episodes from various periods of Sita’s life.

She however, adds “The theme of the show does not rest complacently or romantically on the mythology of Sita, the plight of Sita is also the plight of our planet.” The curator indirectly gnaws upon our conscience through traditional art.

She evokes in the viewer a moral obligation to preserve and protect nature against the callousness that humans subject her to.

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