Shibu Natesan belongs to a generation of artists from Kerala who studied at the College of Fine Arts in Trivandrum during the early eighties, a time of continuing change and rebellion against a bureaucratic and stultified art establishment. The films of John Abraham and G. Aravindan were one aspect of the cultural climate of the time, and formative, along with translations of Latin American and African literature, of the minds and attitudes of...
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Shibu Natesan belongs to a generation of artists from Kerala who studied at the College of Fine Arts in Trivandrum during the early eighties, a time of continuing change and rebellion against a bureaucratic and stultified art establishment. The films of John Abraham and G. Aravindan were one aspect of the cultural climate of the time, and formative, along with translations of Latin American and African literature, of the minds and attitudes of young artists. His first significant body of work, a series of paintings entitled "The Futility of Device" derives from a feudal history excavated in painstaking detail, the relics displayed in the grim chambers of memory, symbols of aggression which repeat themselves with oppressive regularity. The atmospheric quality of these works, some of them based on photographs of archaeological remains such as the caves at Ajanta, is heightened by the use of metallic paint on canvas.
Shibu spent two years, between 1996 - '97 at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, and his recent "Missing" series of paintings is representative of the change that occurred duing the time. The use of photography here is even more literal, though still adhering to a stubborn involvement with the processes of painting, their capacity to shift and re-focus the gaze to glean hitherto unperceived information.
There is a simulation which resembles the original to a startling degree, but which in fact prompts a set of readings which are contrary to what was intended, thus displacing the meaning without significantly altering it's appearance. Things are not what they seem to be; the actuality and sanity which these images once claimed is suddenly suspect.
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Born
1966
Vakkom, Kerala
Education
1996-97 Artist in Residence, Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam 1989-91 M.A.(Printmaking), Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda 1982-87 Bachelor of Fine Arts( Painting), College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum, Kerala
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 'Uninterrupted Speech', Vadehra...
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 'Uninterrupted Speech', Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 2009 ‘External Affairs’, Grosvenor Vadehra, London 2007 ‘Each One Teach One’, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York 2005 ‘Vision Unlimited’, Grosvenor Gallery, London 2005 ‘Existence of Instinct’, organized by Sakshi Art Gallery at Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi 2001/2 ‘Paintings’, Galerie Nanky De Vreeze, Amsterdam and Sakshi Art Gallery, Bangalore 1998 -99 ‘Missing’, Fine Arts Gallery, Baroda, Nature Morte, New Delhi and Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai 1997 ‘Linkage’, Gallerie Nanaky De Vreeze, Amsterdam 1995 ‘Futility of Device’, Sakshi Gallery Mumbai 1995 ‘Futility of Device’, Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery, Baroda 1987 Exhibition of Drawings, Fine Arts Gallery Trivandrum.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2012 '2012: A Further Global Encounter', Grosvenor Vadehra, London
2012 'Aqua', Gallery Beyond, Mumbai 2012 'Terrestial Bodies', 1 x 1 Art Gallery, Dubai 2011 'Anecdotes', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 2011 'Pause: A Collection', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2011 Art Musings, Mumbai 2010-11 'A Collection', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 2010 'Looking Glass: The Existence of Difference', Twenty Indian Contemporary Artists presented by Religare Arts Initiative, New Delhi in collaboration with American Centre; British Council; Goethe-Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi 2010 'Indian (Sub)Way', Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi; Grosvenor Vadehra, London2010 Art Musings, Mumbai 2009 'Anglo-Indian Express', Grosvenor Gallery, London 2009 'Long Gone & Living Now', Gallerie Mirchandani + Steinreucke, Mumbai 2009 'Progressive to Altermodern: 62 Years of Indian Modern Art', Grosvenor Gallery, London 2008-09 'Signs Taken for Wonders: Recent Art from India and Pakistan', Aicon Gallery, London 2008 'November', 1x1 Contemporary, Al Quoz, Dubai 2008 'Anxious', Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai 2008 'Modern and Contemporary Indian Art', Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 2008 'Indi Genius', presented by Sakshi Gallery and Soka Contemporary Space, Taipei at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 2008 'Link', Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai 2006 'Parallel Realities', Asian Art Now, Blackburn Museum, Lancashire, England 2006 'Making the Divinity', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 2006 'Altered Realities', Gallery Art India, New York 2005 'Alchemy', Art Musings, Mumbai 2005 ‘Paths of Progression’, Bodhi Art and Saffronart, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York and Singapore 2005 ‘Visions of Landscape’, Guild Gallery, Mumbai 2004 ‘Anticipation’, organized by Fine Art Resource at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2004 ‘Tiranga, Right and Responsibilities’, A Traveling Show, organized by Jindal Foundation, New Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai 2004 Annual Exhibition, Art Musings, Mumbai 2004 ‘Generation – 1’, The Guild Gallery and Saffronart, Mumbai 2003 ‘Creative Space’, Sakshi Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2003 ‘Master Strokes’, Art Musings, Mumbai 2003 ‘Tiranga’, A Traveling Show, organized by Jindal Foundation, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2003 ‘Recent Works’, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi 2003 ‘Under The Skin of Simulation : Three Contemporary Painters’, Fine Art Resource, Berlin 2003 ‘Highlights’, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 2003 Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata 2003 ‘Crossing Generations : diVERGE’, For 40 Years of Gallery Chemould, organized by Gallery Chemould, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai 2002 ‘Cinema Still’, organized by Apparao Galleries at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 ‘Heroes and Mentors’, RPG, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2002 ‘Finding The Centre at The Margin’, organized by Apparao Galleries, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Trust (IGNCA), New Delhi, Chennai 2002 ‘Real In Realism’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 2002 ‘Transfiguration’, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 ‘CAN’, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 ‘VIART’, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 ‘Words and Images’, organized by Guild Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai 2002 ‘Clicking Into Place’, Japan Foundation with Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 2002 ‘Cutting Edge Contemporary’, Organized by Fine Art Company, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai 2002 ‘Under Construction’, Japan Foundation, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan 2001 ‘Engendering-Images of Women’, Guild Gallery, Mumbai 2001 ‘The Human Factor’, organized by Guild Art Gallery at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2001 ‘Figures In My Mind’, Gallery Espace, New Delhi 2001 ‘In an Exuberant and Profuse Manner’, Bose Pacia Modern, New York 2001 ‘Human Factor’, Guild Gallery, Mumbai 2001 ‘ARS 01, Unfolding Perspectives’, Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland 2001 ‘Indian Contemporary Fine Ar’, organized by Apparao Galleries and Saffronart, Los Angeles 2000 ‘A Global View : Indian Artists at Home In The World’, organized by Fine Arts Resource, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2000 ‘Baroda School of Art’, Fine Art Company, Mumbai 2000 ‘Exile and Longing’, Lakeeren , Mumbai 2000 Kunst Rai, Galerie Nanky de Vreeze, Amsterdam 1999 ‘The Creative Process’, The Guild Gallery, Mumbai 1999 Bedrijven voor Lilian Fons, Museum Boymans, Rotterdam, Netherlands 1999 ‘Pictures of Pictures’, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, England 1999 Norwich Gallery, Norwich, England 1999 Grezellos Mooi, De Vreeze and the Lining Stone Galeries, Nieuwegien, Netherlands 1999 ‘Icons of the Millennium’, Lakeeren, Mumbai 1999 ‘Embarkations’, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 1998 Vadhera Art Gallery New Delhi 1998 ‘Spin’, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai 1998 ‘Kunst Rai’, Galerie Nanky DE Vreeze and Living Stone Galleries Amsterdam 1998 ‘Edge of the Century’, Nature Morte, New Delhi 1997 ‘Gift for India’, Sahmat, New Delhi 1997 ‘Spring, Spring’ , Gallerie Serieuse Zaken, Amsterdam 1997 Netherlands Art History Institute, Leiden, Amsterdam 1997 Open Studio Show, Rijksakademie Amsterdam 1996 Open Studio Show, Rijksakademie Amsterdam 1995 ‘Contemporary Art’, Deutsche Bank, Mumbai 1995 ‘Burning Terrains’, works on paper, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai 1993 Exhibition in Aid of Earthquake Victims, Fine Arts Gallery Baroda 1991 Artists against Communalism ‘Images and Words’, Sahmat, New Delhi 1990 Artists from Baroda , Graphic Prints, Cymroza Art Gallery Mumbai.
Joint Exhibitions
2004 ‘In Transit I’, with Atul Dodiya, Temporary Gallery, organized by Sakshi Gallery and Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin 2003 ‘Small Format Works, Two Painters’ with Baiju Parthan, Art Musings, Mumbai
Participations
2012 'Art for Humanity', Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai
2011 'Of Gods and Goddesses, Cinema, Cricket: The New Cultural Icons of India', Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2011 'The Intuitive: Logic Revisted', from the Osians Collection at The World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland 2010 'Roots', 25th Anniversary Exhibition of Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai at The Park, Chennai 2009 'ARCOmadrid', Spain represented by Kashi Art Gallery, Kochi 2008 Presented by 1x1 Art Gallery at Art Paris, Abu Dhabi 2005 ‘Parallel Realities’, The Third Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan. 2005 XIth Triennial India, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi 2003 ‘Palette-2003’, organized by Palette Art Gallery at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 ‘Palette-2002’, organized by Palette Art Gallery at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2001-02 'ARS 01 Unfolding Perspectives', Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki 2001 ‘Palette-2001’, organized by Palette Art Gallery at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 1998 ‘International Art Fair’, Annacy De Vreeze, Stockholm, Sweden 1996 6th Bharat Bhavan Biennial of Contemporary Art, Bhopal
Honours and Awards
1996 ‘Uriot Prize’, Rijksakademie van Beeldande Kunsten, Amsterdam 1991 Gold Medal, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
1996 ‘Uriot Prize’, Rijksakademie van Beeldande Kunsten, Amsterdam 1991 Gold Medal, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
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Q. Your work sometimes deals with very specific issues or concepts, political or historical. What kind of a response do you expect from an uninformed viewer?
I think basically my paintings, for example in the "Missing" series are very direct in the sense that what you see, you know. It is almost like a forgery of something real. It's a very familiar thing; you see missing people on the television and...
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Q. Your work sometimes deals with very specific issues or concepts, political or historical. What kind of a response do you expect from an uninformed viewer?
I think basically my paintings, for example in the "Missing" series are very direct in the sense that what you see, you know. It is almost like a forgery of something real. It's a very familiar thing; you see missing people on the television and in the newspapers. I even take them from the birthday sections.
Q. When you use photographs as the basis for your work, as you do a lot of the time, there must be a way of transforming it into something personal. How would you describe this process?
A. I manipulate, I'm always trying to express my current state of mind. Sometimes there is so much of light in the photograph that it becomes something else, some other visual information. I never use any direct colours, all the paint I use, I mix. The colours are also symbolic of my state of mind.
Q. You lead a life in two countries. How does it affect your way of working?
The sort of language I have developed I can carry wherever I go. I am always painting from existing things, either photography or things in reality.
Q. Do you use any mechanical aids to paint?
No, nothing like that. I'm totally against that. For me, the process of painting is very important, the challenge of making a picture by my own thought process, in a direct way. I'm somewhere a purist, actually, in terms of painting. Through making pictures this way, I can have a relationship with painters of a hundred or a thousand years ago, with the past and the future too. Painting is something which has been so much done, throughout history, that while you are painting you can sometimes go through other painter's thought processes and understand why they did certain things.
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