What if a library didn’t house books, but artists? What if every corner you turned opened not to a paragraph on a page, but to a human being translating their life into pigment, paper, and perspective? The Living Library of Artists, an evocative art show happening this weekend in Chennai, follows this premise.
Curated by Sunshine House, the exhibition transforms the venue into an artistic canvas. Think of it as a creative ecosystem: art sprouting across two floors. Inside, each artist is a “chapter,” each stall an unfolding narrative, rich with handmade stickers, paintings, crafts, and interaction. Outside, things get delightfully unscripted with Charpoi Chatter—a line-up of free-flowing conversations, performances and pop-up moments that celebrate what it means to create, exist and be seen.
Among the “living pages” is Chennai-based artist Sandhya Radhakrishnan, whose journey into art began during the quietude of lockdown. “I started with watercolours around 2021, but became consistent only last year,” she shares. “Now I explore gouache, charcoal, oil—anything that excites me. Gouache gives me a sense of calm. It’s my reset button after a long day.”
Sandhya’s table will feature hand-painted bookmarks, Studio Ghibli-inspired illustrations, vibrant landscapes and her newest obsession—stickers. “I just started making them at home. Some are my own illustrations, and some are from licence-free sources since I’m still learning,” she says. For her, the event is less about commerce and more about connection. “Every time I attend an art fest, I meet people who view art differently. I love those conversations.”
Visual artist Preethi Balaji, who also brings her work to the fest, took a very different road to get here—via medicine, art school, and now UX design. “Art gave me my mind back,” she says with candour. “I studied everything—Renaissance history, Indian art, even lino printing from the war era.” But it was Studio Ghibli films that cracked something open. “They taught me that even the air has emotion. That trees, landscapes, light—everything speaks.”
Preethi’s landscapes are immediate, emotional and textured with bold brushstrokes. “I use gouache and flat brushes. I don’t care for detail—I want the painting to breathe.” Having recently moved from the slow rhythm of Coimbatore to Chennai, she’s craving conversation. “I want to meet people. Teach if I can, learn if I must. This show isn’t just an exhibition—it’s a way back into the human current.”
More than just an art market or gallery, The Living Library of Artists is an invitation to slow down, browse people instead of pages, and lose yourself in the very real stories behind every canvas and colour.
Entry fee: INR 100. July 20. 2 pm to 8 pm. At Backyard, Adyar.
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