“During the lockdown, I decided to explore the domestic space and work with a medium which is easy to deal with and has a certain degree of fluidity. As I began to work on it with small papers and watercolour, a disconnect with the world outside happened inside me. So, I created a new world which was sometimes sad, bizarre, and at times optimistic,” says Vasudevan Akkitham.
The 365 works, each painting a day titled ‘An Almanac of a Lost Year’ is now a part of the ongoing Kochi Muziris Biennale at the Aspin Wall House, Fort Kochi. Just like any individual, Akkitham was also confined in four walls during the lockdown period and with limited resources he sat down at his dining table and painted the 365 day lockdown journal.
The 365 small watercolour paintings are from 2020 to 2021. Each painting marks a day of the year 2020 when lockdown was imposed due to Covid-19. The painting reflects upon different nuances of life. He says that ‘An Almanac of a Lost Year’ is a personal statement or commentary on certain issues happening around looking from an enclosed space and the installation is almost a world in itself where there are fantasies, thoughts, imagination and it also deals with many political issues. Among all one painting is done on his father’s funeral too.
Vasudevan is also showcasing ‘Distance’, a tryptic work that features three paintings titled ‘Departure, Journey and Arrival’. “It’s autobiographical. It is about how our mental makeup is framed during childhood and how we carry it till our death in different ways. It is also about how we move from our roots and migrate to different places for survival,” he says.
Vasudevan Akkitham is a prominent Indian artist known for creating several iconic works. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneer in Indian art. His work is a part of several reputed collections such as the Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi, Madhavan Nair Museum, Cochin and the Chester Herwitz Family Trust Collection, USA. His work continues to be admired by all over the world.
The fifth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale opened on 12th December, 2022 and will be on view till 10th April, 2023.
