A solo of recent works by artist Rajan Krishnan

New York based Aicon Gallery presents a solo show of artist Rajan Krishnan. 'Ancestry' is essentially a logical extension of his past two noteworthy projects, namely ‘Enroute’ (2006) and ‘Memoir’ (2007).

The new large-scale works are akin to a visualized homage to intriguing cultures in gradual transition. He here looks to revisit his native place, only to find the Nila river that once thrived there, nurturing the people around it, now devastated sans its past glory. The placid shimmering currents and golden sand of his memory are not anymore there. Instead what now has remained are dark debris, stark shrubbery and crumbling structures in place of the life-giving waters and luscious foliage.

‘Ancestry’ is a heart-touching panorama of portrait-like paintings of peculiar elements from the once lovely landscape that surrounded the river, rendered against a foreboding grey backdrop without any foreground or background. They tend to focus our attention directly upon his chosen subjects, themes and settings. Masterful detailing is contrasted by the darkly flattened and mystifying milieu, devoid of time and its aftereffects, yet ethereally stirred by an ongoing sensation of both serenity and chaos.

In the collective memory of the flourishing region and so of the artist – the river stands for more than just flowing water. For generations it shaped the lives and culture of the people in South Malabar, and the artist’s home state of Kerala. The Nila River was a lifeline to a vast arena, offering sustenance to the countless villages and cities.

However, the bleak present existence to which this once magnificent icon of India’s rich natural and cultural history has been consigned to leaves Rajan Krishnan’s images – like the river itself – stranded somewhere between our shared past perceptions and the tangible yet continually shifting realities of our today and tomorrow. The solo of recent works by Rajan Krishnan presents poignant images to present a grim reality.