SHINOD AKKARAPARAMBIL

H e t e r o t o p i a

The Visible and Invisible: A Journey of Inner Reflection

SOLO EXHIBITION

Lalitha kala akademy gallery Kozhikkode, Kerala.

December 27 - 30, 2018.

Art has long been a medium for exploring the depths of human consciousness, bridging the seen and the unseen. In the series The Visible and Invisible, I embark on a deeply personal journey, engaging in an introspective dialogue with myself. Through the delicate and fluid nature of watercolor on canvas, this work becomes an experiment in expressing the intangible thoughts, emotions, and the hidden processes of the mind.

Nature is full of mysteries, many of which are imperceptible to the naked eye. Just as a tree’s roots extend unseen beneath the soil, the mind too holds layers of invisible experiences and subconscious reflections. This series attempts to capture these fleeting, abstract moments, translating them into color, form, and movement. Watercolor, with its unpredictable flow and ethereal transparency, becomes the perfect medium for this exploration, allowing me to merge intention with spontaneity.

In each piece, I not only paint but also engage in a silent conversation with my soul. The strokes, washes, and gradients of color reflect emotions and thoughts that words often fail to express. The visible elements in the paintings shapes, figures, or landscapes serve as a gateway to the invisible, inviting viewers to delve beyond the surface and connect with their own inner realities.

Ultimately, The Visible and Invisible is more than just a series of paintings; it is a testament to the power of self-reflection and artistic experimentation. By embracing both the seen and the unseen, I offer a space where personal and universal truths intertwine, inviting others to contemplate their own hidden landscapes of thought and feeling.

The Visible & Invisible 1, Watercolour on Canvas 36 x 36 Inches, 2018

The Visible & Invisible

Sudhakaran P

Writer, translator and, art critic

When he was in Delhi, in search of establishing his creative identity, artist Shinod Akkaraparambil was literally a fish out of water. The green memories of the rustic landscape surrounded him in his native village at Koduvally, in the interiors of Kozhikode, were still haunting him. But what he faced in his life in the dingy street lanes of the metropolis was diametrically opposite, and there was no balance between the two.

From those contrasting experiences, he started painting his earlier works, more than one and a half decades back, portraying the angst and struggles of the unknown men caught up in the urban rat race, silent and subjugated.

But when we look at the most recent works of Shinod, in the series ‘The Visible and Invisible’, exhibited at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi gallery here, we experience a total transformation, though the angst about humanity is writ large on them.

“Yes, when I was in Delhi, the images I encountered were different, which never matched with the nostalgic green memories within me, but the urban images did not fade out from me and they remained in a slumber within,” he said.

Years later, when he faced a different life, this time in Chennai, those images in slumber came to life, once again as part of an urban landscape, totally different from the earlier ones. But that was as tiny forms, and he experimented with a series of 365 paintings ‘Point-blank 365’ done in 365 days.

“I try blending the tiny images in my memories in the context of the urban chaos that we pass through in our life,” said the artist.

That is why his paintings remind us of the urban rat race at the same time remaining the recollection of the rustic memories. Yes, his paintings are connected to the physical space he lives in and the society that he interacts with, reflecting the concern about our future in this ecosystem. Interestingly, the larger paintings in this series can be seen as a combination of the smaller ones.

In his works, the forms, from birds and animals to human beings, merge with the landscape around and they are inseparable. The hunter, prey, and the times we live in come to life here with the minimalistic forms that together form an abstract landscape of green memories and dark realities.

https://youtu.be/jWX9lxhvABE