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urendran Nair is a soft-spoken man who doesn’t
speak much, although someone who doesn’t know
him may think otherwise, going by the typically
long titles of his works. And you would imagine he
would be the least controversial but he has had his fair
share of controversies and had at one point withdrawn
his works from a show at NGMA. Art, for him, is ‘an
everyday dream since the days as an art student.’ He
imagines his work to have ‘political undertones, however
subtle, which is informed of history, mythology, realand imaginary events. Art history, notions of tradition
and identity and its relationship with modernity of
language, sexuality, politics, and religious and other
faiths.’ And he does this through his works without
emphasising any of these in particular. What he has in
common with KP Reji, several years younger than him,
is the hint of mischief in the work – an exchange of a
silent joke. It is the black humour in Surendran Nair’s
work that Reji admires most. Reji has been following
his works for more than 22 years now. Humour is notSurendran Nair and KP Reji
Thoombinkal Chathan, K. P. Reji,
Oil on canvas, 120'' x 180'' (triptych),
2012 Image Courtesy of
The Guild Art Gallery and the Artist(^50) / arts illustrated / feb 2016 - mar 2016 /IAF - Delhi Connecting Art