Process and Approach
I approach my writing through two complementary lenses, focusing on either research or creativity.
Research-Oriented
I locate the ideas in both historical inquiry and lived practice by probing deeply into the subject. It typically involves seeking first-hand and secondary information to shed light on new perspectives. I gather this information not just by researching libraries and archives, but also by interviewing artists to ground the subject.
Creative-Oriented
My creative-first approach is more free-flowing and organic. Here, I give prominence to observations and reflections, allowing the structure to be more free-flowing and intentional.
Books
Smriti: Art from the Piramal Collection
This extensively researched book delved into the art of the Piramal Collection, Mumbai. However, the scope of the book extended beyond that as it delved both into the story of artworks in the collection as also the narrative of Indian art by delving to collectives, groups and art movements that formed the backdrop to the artworks. It presented never-before-seen images culled from archives across India and featured research from primary archival sources, among others.
Piramal Art Foundation Raja Ravi Varma Life And Expressions
Pages of a Mind: Raja Ravi Varma explores the life, work and context of Ravi Varma, through essays by renowned authors who shed new light on the topic. The essay by Drs.Erwin Neumayer and Christine Schelberger, reconstruct the life and practice of Ravi Varma using photographic documents and the diary maintained by Raja Raja Varma, the artist’s brother and assistant. Vaishnavi Ramanathan looks at the patronage Ravi Varma received during his lifetime while Lina Vincent Sunish debates on the place of Ravi Varma within the history of printmaking in India. Dr.Usha Balakrishnan, a renowned author on Indian jewellery, takes a close look at the representation of jewels in Ravi Varma’s paintings and testifies to the veracity with which the artist recorded the jewels of his days. Art and film critic H.A.Anil Kumar looks at the influence of Ravi Varma on Indian cinema and analyses the way the artist has been represented in recent films.
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The Tamil Landscape: Culture and Traditions, co-authored with Dr Deborah Thiagarajan | Published by Madras Craft Foundation, Chennai, 2018
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Essays, Journals and other publications
Foreward on M. Natesh for his book of drawings “Before becoming Blind”
Read the Foreward here
Human Rights/Derechos Humanos, Prints by Oaxacan and Cincinnati Artists
Read the article here
Saad Ghosn: Scream and Beyond
Read the article here
Fine Arts: An Unexplored Chapter of the Madras School of Arts
Read the journal here