Onam, Kerala's state festival, celebrates King Mahabali, a powerful, but overconfident emperor who was banished to the underworld for the threat he posed to the gods. Once a year, like Persephone of Greek Mythology, Mahabali is said to return, bringing joy and prosperity with him. In the spirit of Mahabali's return, Rajiv Menon Contemporary presents an exhibition bringing the creativity and ingenuity of Kerala to Los Angeles.
As any Keralite can tell you, there's no place on Earth like God's Own Country. The region's landscapes and atmosphere are a rich aesthetic experience in their own right. Yet even in its geographic and cultural singularity, Kerala has also been a global crossroads; as a key site in the Indian Ocean's trading routes, Kerala has been the center of the world at many times in history.
Kerala is increasingly a major hub of contemporary art in South Asia, with both local perspective and global significance. This exhibition articulates the rise of a major aesthetic force in the global art landscape. Beyond just figurative and landscape work that presents the region in a literal way, Three Steps of Land evokes the spirit of the region, finding new emotional and aesthetic touchpoints that reveal the universal appeal of regional specificity.
Featured artists: Abul Hisham, Devi Seetharam, Lakshmi Madhavan, Maya Varadaraj, Melissa Joseph, Nibha Akireddy, Nityan Unnikrishnan, Par Nair, Saju Kunhan, Sivasubramaniam Kajendran, Surendran Nair
As any Keralite can tell you, there's no place on Earth like God's Own Country. The region's landscapes and atmosphere are a rich aesthetic experience in their own right. Yet even in its geographic and cultural singularity, Kerala has also been a global crossroads; as a key site in the Indian Ocean's trading routes, Kerala has been the center of the world at many times in history.
Kerala is increasingly a major hub of contemporary art in South Asia, with both local perspective and global significance. This exhibition articulates the rise of a major aesthetic force in the global art landscape. Beyond just figurative and landscape work that presents the region in a literal way, Three Steps of Land evokes the spirit of the region, finding new emotional and aesthetic touchpoints that reveal the universal appeal of regional specificity.
Featured artists: Abul Hisham, Devi Seetharam, Lakshmi Madhavan, Maya Varadaraj, Melissa Joseph, Nibha Akireddy, Nityan Unnikrishnan, Par Nair, Saju Kunhan, Sivasubramaniam Kajendran, Surendran Nair
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Abul HishamGrandmother and Granddaughter , 2023Acrylic on board33.5 x 39 cm
13.2 x 15.4 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Abul HishamFigure with forehead Garland, 2022Acrylic on plywood20 x 21 cm
7.9 x 8.2 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Abul HishamElephant with a broken tusk, 2022Acrylic on plywood and engraving on rusted metalPlywood - 39 x 30 cm; 15.4 x 11.8 in
Metal piece - 52 x 23 cm; 20.5 x 9 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Devi SeetharamMulla Poov (Jasmine) IXAcrylic on Canvas60 inches x 30 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Devi SeetharamMulla Poov (Jasmine) X, 2024Acrylic on Canvas60 inches x 30 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Lakshmi MadhavanLabored Landscape I, 2024Kasavu, red & black threads, wood, shuttle, kasavu spool49 inches x 30 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Lakshmi MadhavanLabored Landscape II, 2024Kasavu, red & black threads, wood, cloth roller49 inches x 25 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Lakshmi MadhavanLabored Landscape III, 2024Kasavu, red & black threads, wood, laterite soil49 inches x 30 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Maya VaradarajPappa in Pink , 2022Acrylic on canvas36 x 24 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Maya VaradarajAchi, Dark in a Striped Blouse, 2023Acrylic on Linen
64 x 64 in
Courtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Melissa JosephOnam Sadya at night, 2024needle felted wool on industrial felt21 x 25 inches (unframed)Courtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Nibha Akireddyజడల రాజ్యం (rule of braids), 2024Oil on Canvas36 x 48 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Nibha AkireddyFight Sequence (Diptych), 2024Oil on canvas18 x 45 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Nityan UnnikrishnanChorus, 2021Acrylic on khadi
33 x 59 1/2 in
83.8 x 151.1 cmCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Par NairHer songs were soft 4, 2023Oil on canvas30 x 40 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Saju KunhanBanglavukunnu-Thookkuparamb Road #2, 2023Image Transfer, Charcoal and Varnish on Teak Wood9 x 5 feet
108 x 60 inches
Set of 6 panelsCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Sivasubramaniam KajendranSea Mother, 2024Oil On Canvas41 inches x 30 inches
Courtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Sivasubramaniam KajendranThank you, 2024Oil On Canvas41 inches x 30 inches
Courtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Sivasubramaniam KajendranCollector - 1 , 2024Oil On Canvas41 inches x 30 inches
Courtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Sivasubramaniam KajendranMother Song, 2024Oil on Canvas160 x 240 centimeters
63 x 94.48 inchesCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Sivasubramaniam KajendranThis is not mother land, 2024Oil On Canvas81.10 x 53.93 inches
206 x 137 centimeterCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist -
Surendran NairA Rhino's left turn, 2022Watercolor on Paper30 x 22 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
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Surendran NairFigure Lady, 2022Watercolor on Paper30 x 22 inCourtesy of Rajiv Menon ContemporaryCopyright The Artist
