Impact
Swiss Patronage for Kerala Artist Unnikrishnan C
In a first-of-its-kind patronage in the Indian art world courtesy avid collectors Richard and Adrienne Blum of Zug, emerging artist Unnikrishnan C. gets an opportunity to showcase his works at a solo exhibition in Switzerland in March 2018.
The story of the 26-year old artist from the quaint little town of Pezhumpara in Kerala, is how dreams are made of. Unnikrishnan’s style draws upon idiomatic cultural artefacts and hyperlocal textual references, such as visual metaphors culled from stories told by his grandmother. His work documents events and images from his rapidly changing surroundings and they offer not only a personal archive but a critical description of possible encounters with tradition, belief systems and modernity.
Little did Unnikrishnan know that his signature work ‘Brick Wall’ that he started painting on terracotta bricks on walls of his home, creating one painting a day as if making entries in a visual diary originally made for his BFA show at the Thrissur School of Art, would pave the way for some truly spectacular opportunities, and would help him realise him dream of becoming a visual artist. The Brickwall installation is a free standing wall composed of more than 300 bricks.
Unnikrishnan's body of works reveals the urge to archive objects and ways of living that face extinction in an invisible wave of crisis unleashed in rural Kerala by the collapse of traditional economies centered on activities such as weaving; abruptly rendering useless once valued skills and implements.
Moved by the depth in Unnikrishnan’s work and his passion to make art against the greatest odds, Blums offered to support Unnikrishnan for two years to create a body of work which he would be showcasing at a solo exhibition in Switzerland. Unnikrishnan will get a chance to present his work to curators, directors of leading galleries, museums and auction houses, apart from noted art collectors from Switzerland and Germany.
The three day exhibition will showcase 12 works including a video work.
Pooja Gulati, VTY, +91-9810462407, pooja.gulati@vty.co.in
Ujjala B Gupta, VTY, +91-9899927626, ujjala.gupta@vty.co.in