Reflections of life

There is a Latin proverb, “Still water runs deep”. Kochi-born artist Sebastian Varghese explores the same ideology in his recent exhibition “Water Variations”. The watercolour painting on display captures the underlying tensions of the socio-political conditions in Kerala.

The still calmness and the picturesque serenity of the landscape are the first things you will notice in his works. But he talks about the undercurrents with such ease that the viewers are compelled to see beyond beauty, shares gallerist Tunty Chauhan of Gallery Threshold. “In this exhibition, Sebastian not only questions the socio-political conditions of the country, especially Kerala, but also talks about present condition of water-bodies. The works focus on how most of the water-bodies are polluted and are affection ecology adversely. With these delicate watercolours, Sebastian voices his concern for our fragile ecosystem in a lyrical, poetic language. The exhibition also includes a video installation by the artist.”

She continues, “Each individual interacts with a water body on a daily basis. Presence of water is a visual treat and its complex forms can be contemplative portals to our mind as well. When the light waves are reflected on to the ontological reality, it creates an ethereal world. His work emerges from landscape visuals and its various derivations. Land goes through tremendous changes. After years of socio-political and cultural transformations, the organic and architectural skin of the land has been layered with numerous stories. One could see the artist moving towards abstract art in his works ‘Water Variation 2’ and ‘Water Variation 3’.”

In one of his works, he showcases the water hyacinth, a beautiful but deadly plant and compares it with beauty of life. It saps the life out of any water body, rendering it dry and defunct. It also hides the muck that lies beneath its roots and leaves; the pretty purple flowers act as the perfect decoy. She says, “All of his paintings have an underlying story that may be discovered by a closer inspection of the works. In the work featuring water hyacinth, on closer inspection one could see various computer parts and other waste material polluting the water. The beauty of his works is that it sends a new message every time you have a closer inspection.”

Another striking aspect of the show is the focus on watercolours. “Watercolours have always been valued below oil-on-canvas works because oil gives the canvas longevity, but at the same time, one must remember that watercolour is a difficult medium to work in,” shares Tunty and adds, “In the recent past, watercolours have re-emerged as an exciting alternative to oil paint and many artists are revisiting it too.”

The stillness and the ripples captured in the video-installation also compel the audience to have a dialogue with the works. an interview Sebastian stated, “I have always loved the ability of watercolour to seduce the eye. In this instance I have worked with rice paper and mounted it on canvas, so it lends the work a double-edged delight.”

The two-person show also features artist Indrapramit Roy’s work titled “Mezzaterra”, wherein he is trying to find definitive answers to every question and accepting certain answers over others do not foreclose the possibility of contestation, the existence of other answers.