Tom Vattakuzhy’s exhibition The Shadows of Absence, currently showcased in Kolkata, explores love and light
For those who have followed Tom Vattakuzhy’s work—whether through his evocative early illustrations for literary magazines or his recent appearances at the India Art Fair and the Kochi Biennale Pavilion—his first solo exhibition in India, The Shadows of Absence, marks a long-overdue moment of arrival.
Born in Kerala, Tom Vattakuzhy’s artistic journey has spanned Santiniketan, Baroda, and several years abroad. Deeply influenced by literature, humanist thought, and social engagement, his practice is underpinned by a profound empathy. His luminous and restrained style blends the rigour of Renaissance realism with surrealist undertones and the intimate quietude of Kerala’s domestic worlds. We spoke with him to learn about his paintings. Excerpts:
Why Tom Vattakuzhy doesn’t believe in series or straight narratives
Most of your paintings on display have one thing in common, a source of light. Why do you think light is so important in our lives?
When you look at the painting the first impression you may get is that it is very mundane. There is nothing extraordinary in that but when you take a longer look at the painting you would understand that it is not so usual. There is something more to it…it has more depth and dimensions, making the paintings viewed in many ways. If you take a longer look, you can see associations with the works of various artists. I throw inspiration from say the early renaissance to the modern and I look at what my inner self responds to and I take inspiration from them before drawing.
For me, the light I paint is not a physical light that I create in my paintings. There is something special to that.
Is it like the ray of hope?
Can be interpreted in many ways but one thing I tell you, for me I don't make my painting in a narrative way, which can be verbally explained. I don't build any story. You can make stories by looking at it. What happens when you look at the paintings with different experiences than mine, you would interpret it differently, and see it from a contemplative angle.
In many of your paintings, we see families. Why exactly? Are you talking about the various kinds of emotions we go through in a family?
Most of these works are about family in the sense I am not trying to talk about any particular situation. My purpose is to create a kind of introspection in that painting, like the man standing there is looking at his own shadow. Maybe it can perhaps be taken as a self-reflective gesture, seeing him.
How many paintings are there? Is it a series?
There are 16 paintings.
I don't like to call it a series because when you make a series you have a strict thought process, a straight jacketed idea to go about the paintings. But it is difficult for me to imagine, because, when I travel in time, what I feel today, may not be the same tomorrow. Something else will happen; certain different experiences will get infiltrated in my mind, and that will get reflected in my work.
The exhibition will be on at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, till tomorrow, July 20.