Verukal വേരുകൾ is a group show curated by TAK Contemporary, a trio of art professionals based in Paris, France. Through exhibitions, events, and academic discussions, the initiative aims to promote art from the Indian subcontinent transcending geographical boundaries and fostering cross-cultural appreciation.

 

The title of the exhibition ‘Verukal’ being inspired by the novel written by Malayattor Ramakrishnan, instills in the audience the act of return, a journey set in search of one’s roots which is defined as the foundational aspects of one’s existence, the vocation an individual is destined for. 

 

The exhibition interconnects through chapters of transitions, awareness, and re-discovery with each room drawing the viewer to the artists who speak a common language in the selected boundaries. 

 

Transitions: From the genesis, the transition from a “noble savage” to the present state is a development result of human consciousness through different stages of life, at an individual and collective level. As Hegel states, the evolution of the human consciousness is developed by the dialectical process where contradictions and conflicts lead to a higher form of understanding. Thus when a human is subjected to continuous evolution, the changes that occur in one’s life become inseparable from the surrounding nature. 

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Awareness: In silence we create, in stillness we evolve. In a state of peace, subconsciousness leads to awareness and epiphanies. Surrounded by forces of nature and access to the subconscious mind, the transitions of life can be acknowledged, thereby reinforcing and redirecting our journey towards a re-discovery. 

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Re-discovery: As conformism and totalitarianism have conditionally ruled over one’s choices in life, somewhere the human’s ability to navigate life to search for its meaning has been ignored. Whereas, the quest for purpose can be a foundational belief system to surpass the hardest conditions of life. The driving force for re-discovery can be triggered by grief, separation, truth, beauty, or love; and the concept of “existential vacuum” remains a core reason for setting an offset to this journey.

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9 MARCH - 20 MARCH, 2024 | 

David Hall Gallery, Fort Kochi, Kerala, India