The Trivandrum based artist on his unconventional studio set up, and how it inspires his lush, sentimental paintings of life in Kerala
I enjoy living in the city but prefer the people and landscapes of my native village. So I divide my time between two places
– my studio in Trivandrum and the old family house in Kilimanoor where I grew up.
My studio is spacious, allowing me to step back far enough to assess my large-scale paintings. Like most people, I find it hard to work out of my bedroom and am extremely happy to have found a studio space in this quiet part of town where many other artists live.
I moved into this neighborhood when I first came to Trivandrum to study at the College of Fine Arts in 2000, and have been here ever since. Some of my fellow classmates and artists, including Jyothi Basu and Gigi Scaria, used to live here.
Every place is fine, as long as you're happy there. Most local artists have migrated to other parts of the country but I like being in Kerala. I am inspired by its people and landscapes. I think my practice would change if I moved to a different place.
My purpose as an artist is to explain the present situation. My medium of choice is oil on canvas and my subject is daily life. I don't believe in trying to change the world. I like to look at reality and paint life as it is.
I want my art to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. I paint from life but my work references visceral universal experiences. People, whether in Mumbai or Berlin, have really connected with some of my paintings - like Kiss, an image of the unconditional affection between father and daughter, and Amma, which shows my mother putting rice in my plate. That feeling of love is the same all over the world.