Latest news with #Sethubandhanam
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
An exhibition in Kochi chronicles three generations of a family's journey in art
When the artworks of three generations of a family come together, it is more than a showcase of artistic talent. It is a heart-warming event tinged with emotion, memories and love. Sethubandhanam, an exhibition at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery, chronicles a family's journey in art. A tribute to the late artist, writer and illustrator K Balasubramanian, by his children Shalini B Menon and Kailas Menon, the exhibition, says Shalini, is a way to stay connected to their father's legacy. 'It is not just an exhibition for us, it holds a deeper significance. While honouring our father's body of work, we are also expressing our connection to him through art, a gift he gave us,' adds Shalini. Featuring the works of Balasubramanian, Shalini, Kailas and their children Vishnu sharan, Arpana K Menon and Agney K Menon, the show offers a range of artistic expression, across time, circumstances and style. 'The show was conceived before his (Balasubramanian's) death in 2020. He wanted to organise an exhibition that would celebrate a family united by its love for creative expression,' says Kailas. It took months of effort to curate the show. Shalini along with Kailas carefully sorted their father's works, some of which he himself had kept aside for the show. A selection of his nuanced illustrations for Chandrika and Mathrubhumi from the late 1960s and early 1970s occupy a large part of the show. Though he worked in the technical department at Mathrubhoomi (1965-1968), Balasubramanian was a regular contributor to the art and photography sections. He later moved to CIFNET, where he worked as an artist photographer. Though he was not in mainstream art, Balasubramanian continued to fuel his fire, painting, drawing and writing plays. He has written five plays, one of which was published, Cholliyattom, which won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. The translated version of the book was launched at the exhibition. One of his paintings, a large portrait of an elderly couple, occupies pride of place at the exhibition. The portrait belongs to Commander S Gopalakrishnan, who commissioned it to the artist. 'This is a portrait of my parents. I gave him a black and white photograph of theirs for reference. I remember him asking me what colour my mother loved. And I said green. The portrait has my mother draped in an emerald green sari,' says Gopalakrishnan, who offered the painting to be The showcase also includes posters designed by him, newspaper reports and a hand-written note he left for his wife Rema, just a day before he passed. Shalini and Kailas picked up their early lessons in art from their father. 'Being surrounded by art, we were naturally inclined to it,' says Shalini, who worked as an audit manager, before taking up art full time. A protege of artist Suresh TR, founder of Prussian Blue Art Hub, she has displayed her watercolour series on the quaint countrysides of Wadakkancherry, a village she was familiar with through her father's stories. She revisited the place before painting the series, which evoke a sense of nostalgia — the charm of a mansion in a village, a temple festival, a lonely alleyway. Some of her acrylics are also on show. Kailas, who did his fashion designing at NIFT Chennai, worked in Dubai for over 17 years, has been part of a few art exhibitions there. His striking series of drawings in charcoal and brush and ink, titled Sindoor, depicting women with and without the bright vermilion spot on their foreheads. Kailas explores the concept of the veil and beauty hidden, in another colourful triptych. Two striking works in charcoal, one of a palace complex in Jodhpur and one which shows the other side of Jodhpur, is a detailed depiction of the cityscape. He uses a bold palette, mixing styles and drawing from his experience as a designer, while also staying connected to his roots. Shalini's son Vishnu Sharan, who is pursuing his MBA, expresses his love for sport in two paintings, while Kailas's children Arpana (who has just completed her Plus Two) and Agney's (who is in Class X) works include watercolours of landscapes and sport stars, reflecting their interests. The show is on till May 26 at Gallery A, B and C of Durbar Hall Art Centre till May 26.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sethubandhanam: An exhibition that captures how art binds three generations of a family
'You can see, along with a few paintings from my series Sisterhood, there are also a few works that admire the architecture of Jaipur,' he adds. His most recent works — an unfinished series — are also displayed at the exhibition. Drawing inspiration from Operation Sindoor, the series explores women and the cultural practice of wearing sindoor (vermillion). In the charcoal works, the sindoor stands out in bright red. The other side of the hall is slightly muted — beautifully so. Resplendent with the flowing beauty of watercolours, Shalini's works are a nostalgic trip. Stories of childhood. 'My father always used to talk about Wadakkanchery in Thrissur. His stories were about the people, the serene life of those days, and the temple festival. I tried recreating them,' she smiles. Memories are at the core of her works — her old family home (tharavadu) just before it was demolished, her aunts, her father's kalan kuda (crook-handle umbrella), the hills welcoming a roaring rain... 'That's what I love to paint — exploring the beauty and the melancholy of my memories, tales I heard, and the nature around us. However, I have also started experimenting nowadays,' she says, pointing to her most recent works — a bangle market, the familiar yet unfamiliar scene of a temple, and so on. The exhibition is striking in its simplicity, be it the way the works are arranged or the way they were chosen. 'I wanted it to feel intimate, close to heart, just like a family. It's not a curated or elaborate show. But it's ours, created, selected and exhibited by us,' says Shalini. And Sethubandhanam succeeds in that. 'It was our father who suggested holding this exhibition. In 2018, when we were all together at our home, he just expressed — why not? However, in 2020, my parents died within 19 days, putting a stop to all these plans. It was a hard time for us,' says Shalini. None of the artists in the family, including Balasubramanian, ever learnt painting professionally. Everyone began their art journey purely out of interest, and continues out of passion.
