Capturing the land: Exhibition explores Tamil Nadu’s landscape art and cultural identity

CHENNAI: Painting Places is a specially curated exhibition that explores landscape painting as a unique medium, highlighting memory, identity, time, and space. One of the oldest genres of painting, landscape art has long captivated viewers by offering alternative spatial vistas that spark the imagination. Painting Places delves into the magic of the painted landscape through works by five artists from Tamil Nadu.

Harvesting by Sridhar

“The exhibition highlights the diversity of landscape painting within Tamil Nadu, a region renowned for its artists who have long excelled in depicting landscapes in watercolours and other media. Beyond showcasing the visual beauty of these landscapes, the exhibition also serves as a documentation of places, moments, and people who derive meaning from their connection to the land,” says Vaishnavi Ramanathan, curator of the exhibition.

Art work by Kirubakaran

Currently on display at The Gallery, InKo Centre, the exhibition features the works of Arvind Sundar, Dilip Kumar Kesaven, N. Kirubakaran, R. Rajasekar, and Sridhar Kannan.

“Humans share an inseparable bond with the land. As Mother Earth, land provides us with physical sustenance, and as a place, it gives us cultural and social identity. Over centuries, artists have responded to this primordial connection through their art. Painting Places presents the works of five Tamil Nadu-based artists who explore the genre of landscape painting. These artists, whose practices encompass various forms of expression, gravitate toward landscape painting for different reasons,” adds Vaishnavi.

Arvind Sundar's strokes of Malaikkotai

N. Kirubakaran is drawn to the cultural and social narratives that breathe life into a landscape, giving it a unique identity. R. Rajasekar finds a microcosm of physical, geographical, and historical traits in the landscapes of Cuddalore, where he is based. “Sridhar Kannan captures the rhythm and beauty of agrarian life that he observes in the villages around his hometown of Pondicherry. While some of these artists use landscape painting to deepen their connection with their native land, Arvind Sundar’s works are inspired by his travels across India. These paintings provide him the opportunity to study light, colour, and structure, enhancing and complementing other aspects of his artistic practice. Similarly, Dilip Kumar’s works are influenced by his travels in the Javvadhu Hills. He is particularly fascinated by the roads and boundaries that wind through the landscape, creating stunning vistas,” Vaishnavi concludes.

Dilip's work

Dilip's work