Archana and Sanjay

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM :  Draavidia Gallery’s latest exhibition is all about haphazardly drawn lines that convey relevant histories. The solo show, titled Performing History Machine, encompasses over 30 line drawings by renowned contemporary artist Josh PS. At his 11th solo show, life seems to have come full circle for this New Delhi-based Malayali artist.

“After showcasing my works everywhere from Busan (South Korea) to Zurich (Switzerland) in solo and group shows, I’m returning to the very gallery that hosted my first exhibition Repetitions back in 1999,” shares this Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Junior Fellowship award-winner.

Curving stories
Born in Vaikom, the 45-year-old first turned to charcoal wall paintings after being inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s works. Eventually, this led to a career which began with a strong foundation gained at institutes like Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi). Josh made a name for himself in the mainstream art circles through international exhibitions including Art Stage  Singapore (2011) and Missing Links at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai (2009).

His oeuvre is popular for engaging with India’s colonial period addressing the language of exploitation, resistance, non-violence, bondage, and the righteous desire for freedom.However, Performing History Machine is quite unlike his other works—which is why the artist spent close to a decade researching before changing creative lanes.

This project uses intertwining lines that stem from painted pedestals representing elements like machines, human body parts and hospital paraphernalia. Even though they appear abstract, the artist explains that he lays out each line hinting at the history of the material sketched as the pedestal. “Unlike most abstract art, people read different meanings into my drawings. I prefer using lines because, just like humans, one can never really gauge the depth of a line or quantify its dimensions in a three-dimensional spectrum,” 
concludes Josh.