Presented by The Institute of Contemporary Indian Art and AstaGuru
The Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA), with the support of AstaGuru, is pleased to present The Shadows of Absence—the first-ever solo exhibition in India by celebrated artist Tom Vattakuzhy. The exhibition will be held at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, from 11th to 20th July 2025.
For those who have followed Tom’s work—whether through his evocative early illustrations for literary magazines or his recent appearances at the India Art Fair and the Kochi Biennale Pavilion—The Shadows of Absence marks a long-overdue moment of arrival. Born in Kerala, Tom Vattakuzhy’s artistic journey has spanned Santiniketan, Baroda, and several years abroad. Deeply influenced by literature, humanist thought, and social engagement, his practice is underpinned by a profound empathy. His luminous and restrained style blends the rigour of Renaissance realism with surrealist undertones and the intimate quietude of Kerala’s domestic worlds. What makes this exhibition particularly significant is its presentation of 16 major recent works, brought together for the very first time. Created largely over the past few years, these canvases—none of which have ever been shown in India—offer a rare opportunity to experience the full emotional and formal range of Vattakuzhy’s art. Their coming together invites viewers to engage deeply with his visual language, and to consider how his work speaks to both personal memory and collective history, especially within the changing social landscapes of contemporary Kerala. At a time when the role of painting is increasingly questioned in the face of conceptual and digital trends, The Shadows of Absence quietly but powerfully reaffirms the medium’s capacity to reflect, reveal, and remember. This exhibition is not only a milestone in Tom Vattakuzhy’s career, but also a moment of recognition for a practice that has long developed away from the spotlight—with conviction, care, and clarity.
“Tom Vattakuzhy is an interesting and somewhat unusual painter in the Indian context,” says Professor R. Siva Kumar. “He engages with the familiar, lived world in a direct and realistic manner, reminiscent of Western artists before the advent of modernism. What sets him apart is
his ability to do this with full awareness of modernism and its aftermath. The world he represents is one he inhabits and understands intimately. Through his practice, Tom affirms that pictorial realism continues to be a potent and relevant artistic language today.”
Curated by eminent art historian R. Siva Kumar, the exhibition offers a layered and thoughtful framing of Vattakuzhy’s oeuvre, placing it within larger art historical and cultural trajectories while maintaining its deeply personal essence.
Featuring Image Courtesy: AstaGuru
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