Latest news with #VylopillySamskrithiBhavan
New Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Parinamam: The artist who refuses to stand still
Most artists find comfort in a signature style a recognisable stamp they never abandon. But for BD Dethan, that very idea feels like a cage. For over two decades, he has been deliberately breaking his mould, shifting styles whenever familiarity starts to feel like repetition. 'Parinamam', his 34th exhibition that is now going on at Vylopilly Samskrithi Bhavan, could thus be called a record of his evolution. 'Since 2000, I have exhibited almost every year. I cannot stick to one style forever. Once my mind says, 'That's enough,' I end it and move on,' he says. Dethan's artistic journey has been a restless evolution. His famous 'Kali' series, created over six or seven years in pen and ink, became a turning point. Stark, haunting, and deeply unsettling, the series was born from meticulous preparation — sometimes 50 or 60 sketches before a single stroke touched paper. Published in Kerala Kaumudi, 'Kali' sparked strong public reactions. 'If you ask me what the most important work of my career is, I would say 'Kali' without hesitation,' he admits. The inspiration, he reveals with a mischievous grin, came with a story---part myth, part social allegory---imagining humanity as a mix of demonic impulse and envy, gifted with compassion only as a last-minute divine correction. That philosophical darkness shaped the mood of the series, but it came at a cost. 'The works haunted me. After a while, I needed to step away.' When asked why 'Kali' was so haunting, Dethan leans back and grins. 'I made up a story,' he confesses. In his telling, creation itself had a twist. 'My grandfather once told me that after the Creator made all living beings, humanity was created last. Before that, the angels asked the Creator 'What should we add to this new being?' And the answer came, 'Give him a little of the envy we mixed into the demon, the creature we made before this.''
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Meditations, an art exhibition in Thiruvananthapuram, showcases colourful fragments of dissimilar visions
Chapter one of Meditations, an art exhibition by Dr Boban Ramesan, currently on at Vylopilly Samskrithi Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, presents a glimpse into what truly affects the artist — consciously and subconsciously. From depictions of frames inspired by legendary filmmakers Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak to images of death and decay reflecting the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the exhibition explores the personal and the public in a series of untitled works. This chapter features 68 works and chapter two features 42 works. Originally from Petta, Boban has been working as a family physician in Brisbane, Australia, for a decade. He uses Italian Fabriano paper as his preferred canvas. His paint mediums include oil paint, charcoal, pastels, pens, gouache (a water-based paint), chalk and graphite. 'I have been using oil paint for the last 10 years. Before that, my preferred mediums were charcoal and graphite. I also started using pastels a few years ago. I never used colours when I began painting as I was used to monochromatic art,' says Boban. 'I left the works untitled so that people can interpret it. I do have some ideas in my mind. If I feel differently tomorrow, I'll change it,' says Boban, showcasing artworks compiled over the past 12 months. The self-taught artist describes his work as 'mostly spontaneous', putting down his thoughts through his paintings, almost like journalling on canvas. These include his perceptions of places, experiences, and events. For instance, in one of his works, he portrays a rural area in West Bengal; despite not having travelled to the place, he has created a piece inspired by the movies of Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak. Boban displays a shore and people on it, invoking an image of the fisherfolk. Alienation appears to be a recurring theme. With charcoal as a medium, Boban has portrayed a grim, lonely setting in England. The work features a tram next to a solitary person. Subjects embracing other people further highlight a sense of loneliness or an absence of intimacy that many people often crave. 'A lot of lonely figures can be found in my work now; it appears as if I am confined to that space,' he says. 'Last year, I lost my sister, and a lot of those emotions reflect in my work. It helps me cope with sadness, as it is also said that art is therapeutic.' These artworks are dominated by shades of yellow and despite the nature of the colour representing happiness, they display loss and yearning for his sister. Personal relationships or their absence become the leitmotif for the exhibition, which does not have a central theme of any nature. Boban also attempts to revisit his dreams through his art. The abstract works feature animals, objects and even the artist himself; they represent involuntary and incoherent fragments of the artist's psyche, he believes. These dream sequences are colourful and contain recurring elements that set out the idea that the works are interwoven. A section of four works in charcoal portrays violent imagery of conflicts happening across the world, especially in Gaza, says the artist. Lamenting mothers and sights of decay presented in shades of black are direct references to the grim reality. On a closer look, the dancing figures present a group of people profiting from such violence. The exhibition and its second chapter at KCS Panicker Gallery, Museum, is on till June 22, 10 am to 5 pm.
