Change of 'art

A nun, a farmer, a man from a family of shipbreakers in Alang - the art put forth by outliers at the ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale is challenging, refreshing, demands that the viewer stop and think. Meet six of the artists

- Dhamini Ratnam

On the face of it, very little connects these six artists whose works are spread across Fort Kochi and its surrounding neighbourhoods, as part of the ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale:

Sister Roswin aka Malu Joy is a nun. Niroj Satpathy once worked with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Dhiraj Rabha is the son of a former radical ideologue; Himanshu Jamod, the son of a labourer who stripped ships. Prabhahar Kamble does not separate his art from anti-caste critique; Kulpreet Singh sees no difference between his art practice and his socio-religious identity as a Sikh farmer.

They occupy different positions within the art world, some as yet unrepresented by galleries, some at the very start of their careers, others with a few important exhibitions under their belts. They live and work in different parts of the country, and are between 20 and 40 years old. Probe deeper, and a few common threads begin to emerge.