A show of creatives voyages

Celebrated mural artist from Kerala, Suresh Muthukulam, and renowned textile artist, Gunjan Jain, have come together for an art show, ‘Voyages: The Ancient Maritime Silk Route’, to be inaugurated on September 6 at the Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Dr Sonal Mansingh, Padma Vibhushan awardee and renowned dancer of Odissi and Bharatanatyam, will be the chief guest. The show will be on till September 9.

Drawing inspiration from the ancient maritime trade and cultural exchange between the coastal regions of South India and the Southeast Asian countries, ‘Voyages’ is curated by veteran curator and founder of DRAVIDAM, Jaya Mani. DRAVIDAM was started in 1984 with the aim to promote art from South India.

Through paintings on textile, canvas, rice paper, and wooden sculpture, Suresh and Gunjan present the connecting threads of art and culture between the coastal regions of Kerala and Odisha and the countries of Southeast Asia. Through their works, they showcase the shared history of trade, religion and art that has influenced cultures for centuries.

Indian states of Kerala and Odisha and countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam in Southeast Asia have historically had several similarities in art, textiles and sea voyages. The Chola Empire had a significant influence on the culture of Southeast Asia through trade and the spread of Indian religion and art. Southern Indian traders, adventurers, teachers and priests continued to be the dominating influences in Southeast Asia until about 1500 CE. Both Hinduism and Buddhism spread to these countries from India over many centuries.

Shiva, Vishnu and Garuda are major deities in Bali. A section of Balinese Brahmins refers to themselves as Brahmin-Boudha-Kalinga. Lord Jagannath is mentioned in one of the Balinese prayers. The festival of Masakapam Kapesih is celebrated in Bali with the belief that a person is going to his original homeland of Kalinga. The annual Bali Yatra (Boita Bandana) festival goes on for five days during October/November in Odisha. It marks the time when mariners set sail for the islands in the Indonesian archipelago which ends in the Bali islands.

The works at the exhibition delve into this shared history of trade, religion and art that has influenced cultures for centuries. The close proximity of countries in Southeast Asia allowed for easier movement of artists, ideas and materials. This geographical closeness fostered a shared aesthetic and artistic practices.

In her curatorial note, Jaya says that connecting the dots between the states of Kerala and Odisha came from her interest and promotion of the Kerala mural art tradition and almost 35 years of working closely with Suresh, one of Kerala’s top mural artists. This is for the first time that Suresh has painted on textiles and the weavers have got to see their stories through the eyes of an artist. A deep interest in the promotion of handwoven textiles and a love for the saree led to Jaya meeting Gunjan, the talented textile artist and designer whose work on Ikat and other weaves in Odisha is well-acknowledged by lovers of handwoven textiles and the saree.

— The writer is a New Delhi-based contributor