There is a sprawling field of yellow against a strip of pale blue sky with towering mountains in the background — all on canvas in a painting titled Spring in Jeju by Son Ilsam at the Lalit Kala Akademi. Not too far away, a flock of deer stand majestically against a starry sky painted in hues of green and black in Magesh Ramachandran’s A placid dream.
At Confluence, the fifth edition of the Chennai Biennial organised by the InKo Centre and K-Art International Exchange Association, the works of 50 artists from South Korea and India are on display, chronicling a range of perceptions — encompassing Nature, people, and the world around them.
While the Biennial usually showcases the works of contemporary Korean artists, this edition has contemporary artists from India to showcase their work to mark the 50th year of Indo-Korean relations. After making a stop in Jeju, and Busan, the exhibition is now in Chennai, till March 26.
The works on display are a homage to the artists’ perceptions, and how their empirical experiences are at the heart of their work. Twenty-five different artists were selected from across India, and their works are a reflection of the vibrance of the country, and all the culture, tradition and heritage it brings alive,” says Ashrafi S Bhagat, art historian and critic, who has curated the paintings of Indian artists. The Korean paintings have been curated by Kim Injun, an artist of western painting and critic, who says that the works of the twenty-five artists from Korea are filled with emotion and spirit for art and a variety that reflects their individuality.
“I am always in a romantic relationship with Nature, and this is my interpretation – a surrealistic one. I have always been fascinated with nightscapes and I connect whatever I see to the human emotion,” says Vidya Sundar, about her painting Autumn Serenade. Vasuki Lakshminarayanan’s painting has a gathering of women of all ages, and an elephant and a tiger set against hues of blue and green. “This is how I see them, as one with Nature, their pain, togetherness, and everything else coexists here, and the tiger not too far away is of danger as well, that seems to be lurking,” says Vasuki, about Togetherness in Harmony.
Korean artist Lee Gahee trains her focus on the famed female divers from Jeju who harvest seaweed, and other life from the sea. Her painting The Face: Haenyeo presents a striking portrait of an aged diver, her weathered face framed by goggles on top of her head. The towering Hallasan mountains are the subject of Artist Kang Booun’s work, where he says he worked on transferring the energy of the mountains onto his canvas.
“We are treating Nature with ease, and are slowly forgetting to harmonise with it,” says Song Yujin, whose work Timing Game_Checkmate, tells the story of Jeju island and its relationship with the palm trees there, which are being affected by the changing climate and environs.
It is hard to miss the myriad styles from the two countries, and yet how effortlessly all the art comes together. “Artists across South-Asian countries are united by their strong sense of craft. The art of the craft, and the craft of the art is what stands out here,” Ashrafi says.
Chennai Biennial 2024 is on at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road, till March 26. Visit inkocentre.org/chennai_biennial2024.html for further information.
