vivan sundaram

Bad drawings for Dost
14 - 28 February, 2006

To many it might seem unusual for Vivan Sundaram to come out with an exhibition of drawings! By the early 90s Vivan (a prolific painter/ watercolourist) had completely stopped working on a 2 dimensional surface. The Gulf war, Babri Masjid in 1992, the Bombay riots and major world events had spurred Vivan and other artists of his generation into working in other mediums whereby they were able to express themselves in ways other than they would through painting alone.

Yet in 2005, Vivan comes back with an exhibition of drawings. Gallery Chemould invited him to participate in a group exhibition: Bhupen among Friends in August 2005. It was during his residency in Civitella Raineri when he started working on these drawings based on Bhupen's own work. The relationship between the two artists, Bhupen Khakhar and Vivan dates back to the 1960s. They have worked on several projects together, shared homes, studios, and their friendship has withstood all weathers until Bhupen passed away in August 2003. Remembering Bhupen for Vivan through this exhibition was remembering what Bhupen brought to drawing and painting. For Vivan the act of remembering was actually piecing together the work of Bhupen's drawings, and making new drawings out of them. And so came together tracings, jottings, scribbles from Bhupen's work, making for these series of 14 drawings titled, Bad Drawings for Dost. These drawings titled and actually traced at times from Bhupen's work are subtle pencil, charcoal works, gentle memories of one friend remembering the other.