Traditional Asian aesthetics shape a new feminine narrative in Chennai

Echoes of the Trio, the debut group show by artists Ezhil Aparajit, Kavitha Aravind, and Radha Kannan, opens at Sarala Art Gallery and brings together three entirely distinct artistic practices under the banner of one shared story.

Three women artists reshape contemporary Asian-inspired femininity in Chennai

The logo includes an inverted triangle, three colours, three points converging into one, resembling the ancient symbol of Shakti—feminine energy.

The three came together gradually. Kavitha and Radha met while pursuing their diploma in painting. Ezhil, who had built her practice over two decades in Bengaluru before recently relocating to Chennai, met Kavitha at an art exhibition. “We had our natural interest in art and then we had an introduction,” Ezhil says. She had started a WhatsApp community for women artists in Chennai—a space for sharing events, shows, and opportunities—and through it, the three found each other. “The ideation of a show was in process for a very long time. It was not formed overnight. It was organically over a lot of conversations,” she adds.

What held the idea together was precisely what might have pulled it apart. “Our styles are completely distinctive.It is complementary. It doesn’t compete,” shares Ezhil.

For Echoes of the Trio, each artist has produced a distinct body of work. Ezhil’s series, Wild and Sacred, brings together her zoology background and her deep spiritual practice. It is neither wildlife portraiture nor religious iconography but something in between—animals understood as embodiments of divine energy rather than symbols of it. “I explore the sacred presence that already exists within these magnificent beings,” she says.

Kavitha works in a quiet realism rooted in Indian heritage, the Madurai landscape she grew up in, and the textures of everyday life. “I have been observing women in Madurai and how they carry themselves. Women with jewellery and ornaments are the things I concentrate more on my paintings. I depict it through faces and layers. I want the viewer to look at it from a different angle,” shares Kavitha. She employs bold strokes and vibrant, luminous palettes to portray the many roles a woman embodies—dignified, powerful, and victorious.

Radha, meanwhile brings Sita reimagined — not a scene-by-scene retelling of the Ramayana but the emotional stages of Sita’s inner journey, rendered in bold acrylic abstraction with geometric forms and layered texture. “This is my personal interpretation of Sita’s journey. No one ever thinks about Sita. I wanted to go deeper into how those emotions can connect with the people living today,” says Radha.

“Here, it is all individual voices and distinctive styles,” says Ezhil. “We come together, but we also retain our own identity.” The collective is clear that this is not a one-time event and that more shows are planned.

Open to all. From July 27 to August 1. 11 am to 6 pm. At Sarala Art Gallery, Teynampet.