Thota Vaikuntam’s Exhibition is a Hit!
Thota Vaikuntam’s solo show, Redefining the Cultural Gaze, brings to the fore his love for Telangana the icons that have defined five decades of his artistic career
For a man whose artwork is the centre of several drawing rooms across the Indian subcontinent and who has a very well-defined market even abroad, Thota Vaikuntam is a rather shy person. The artist’s mini-retrospective titled Re-defining the Cultural Gaze a book and a short film launched at Art Alive Gallery this October, and it marks five decades of the 82-year-old’s artistic journey. It showcases the artist’s extensive oeuvre from the 1980s to 2024 rooted in Indian aesthetics. It examines the vibrant culture of Telangana through theatrically posed large iconic forms, that he brings to a contemporary global audience.
Courtesy – Art Alive Gallery
We settle down for tea and his favourite cheese-twist biscuits, “One often survived because of chai and biscuits,” he recalls fondly, of his days when he was a young artist struggling to establish himself in the Indian Modern and Contemporary art scene. “I owe a lot to my teacher K G Subramanyam, who encouraged me to pursue my art, and to paint whatever appealed to my artistic senses,” says the artist who had humble beginnings in the village of Burugupalli, in Andhra Pradesh. Vaikuntam began his artistic career working with charcoal and conte on paper before transitioning to vibrant acrylics on canvas. Like many artists who sprang up from small villages, he often did not have money to buy large canvases and we see that many of his early works constituted smaller paper-conte studies.
“For me, the subject that appealed to me most, are the women of Telangana. They are dark, strong and not the typically beautiful fair or delicate women, that have always been considered most desirable. I wanted to capture their ability to shine, despite all the hard manual labour in the fields, the kitchen and even on the roadside,” Vaikuntam says forcefully. He shares that his mother was his biggest inspiration and support, his first ‘critic’ so to speak. “I think even for an artist it is hard work and dedication that defines one and makes an artist successful,” says the artist who lived with his family in a small one-room bed and bath in his early days. “Most importantly we were happy, we did not need others and relied on the love and togetherness of the family,” says the artist who his son accompanies at the opening. Naturally, the man, woman and child also play an important role in his work.
Courtesy – Art Alive Gallery
Recalling his early days he adds, “One thing that K G Sir taught me and all our teachers would insist on, was to always carry a sketchbook in our bag,” he says laughing at the memory, “The artist’s jhola was invented for that I think!” “For me, the line came before colour, having powerful strong lines in one’s work was of utmost importance. The vibrant colour follows,” says the artist.
Courtesy – Art Alive Gallery
In fact, in this exhibition, there is a very good representation of his monochrome charcoal on canvas, alongside one of his large canvases that captures the Telangana women sitting around in a circle, the kolam (rangoli designs) on the ground, some of them are chatting with each other, some applying makeup, others happy to feed the parrot sitting on their shoulder. “The parrot is a bird that Vaikuntam connected with and it is present in much of his work since it is the ultimate companion bird, that can imitate and converse like a human, besides being colourful and part of local culture,” says Dr. Ashrafi S. Bhagat, a senior art historian, author and independent curator.
Courtesy – Art Alive Gallery
The film made by Sruti Harihara Subramanian captures Vaikuntam in his garden with his sketchbook, in his studio and among his artwork, talking about his artistic journey some of which we discussed over tea. An important voice who has made the locals of Telangana iconic, Vaikuntam says, “The future? Who can tell, I plan to continue working till I can and the rest is a surprise from God.” Indeed wise words accompany his visually delightful work.
Image – Thota vaikuntam Mother & Child Acrylic on Paper 30 x 21 inches (2002); Courtesy – Art Alive Gallery
Georgina is an independent critic-curator with 18 years of experience in the field of Indian art and culture. She blurs the lines of documentation, theory and praxis by involving herself in visual art projects. Besides writing on immersive art for STIRworld, she is a regular contributor for The Hindu, MASH Mag and Architectural Digest.
