5 September 2025:
Voyages — An Artistic Tribute to the Ancient Maritime Silk Route – Where Threads and Tides Converge
DRAVIDAM, Bangalore, in collaboration with curator Jaya Mani, presents Voyages: The Ancient Maritime Silk Route—a compelling exhibition that sails through centuries of cultural exchange.
Hosted at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, this showcase invites viewers to rediscover the vibrant maritime connections between coastal South India and Southeast Asia, from the 3rd to the 15th century CE.
Featuring the evocative textile artistry of Gunjan Jain and the richly layered paintings and sculptures of Suresh Muthukulam, Voyages is a confluence of mediums and memories.
Their collaborative works echo the rhythms of trade winds and temple chants, weaving together stories of spices, rituals, theatre and faith that once traversed the oceanic silk route.
Echoes Across Oceans — Cultural Currents of the Maritime Silk Route
DYNASTIES THAT SAILED WITH SPIRIT
From the Pallavas to the mighty Cholas, South India’s seafaring dynasties were not merely traders—they were cultural emissaries. The Cholas, in particular, cast long ripples across Southeast Asia, where Hindu and Buddhist philosophies took root, shaping temples, theatre, and rituals that still breathe through the stone carvings of Bali and the shadow puppetry of Java.
Voyages draws from this shared legacy, where Kerala’s vivid mural traditions and Odisha’s intricate textiles converse with Southeast Asia’s visual languages. Motifs echo across mediums—lotus blooms, celestial dancers, sacred geometry—woven into a tapestry of memory and movement. It is a celebration of art as a vessel, carrying stories that transcend geography and time.
Threads and Frescoes — Two Artists, One Journey Across Time
GUNJAN JAIN: WEAVING MEMORY INTO CLOTH
From the looms of Odisha to the ateliers of Delhi, Gunjan Jain’s textiles speak in the language of lineage. Through her label, Vriksh Design Studio, she collaborates intimately with master weavers, reviving the ancient Ikat tradition with a contemporary soul. Each fabric is more than material—it is a woven tale of heritage, rhythm, and reverence, where warp and weft become storytellers of place and identity.
SURESH MUTHUKULAM: MURALS REIMAGINED
Rooted in Kerala’s sacred mural tradition, Suresh Muthukulam paints with the discipline of temple walls and the freedom of modern thought. His canvases, rice paper scrolls, and sculptural woodworks carry the essence of divine iconography, yet pulse with contemporary nuance. In his hands, mythology becomes metaphor, and ancient pigments find new breath in today’s visual vocabulary.
Anchored in Art — A Journey of Weave and Wall
In 2022, amidst Kerala’s coastal quietude, a rare dialogue began—Gunjan Jain’s handloom heritage met Suresh Muthukulam’s mural mastery. What started as an experiment soon found its anchor in the theme of maritime voyages, echoing centuries of exchange between South India and Southeast Asia. Their collaboration became a vessel for storytelling, where warp and pigment sailed together.
Odisha’s Threads, Kerala’s Frescoes
The journey deepened in Odisha, where Suresh immersed himself in the rhythm of the loom, learning from weavers whose fingers held centuries of technique. Translating mural imagery into textile was no easy tide—language barriers, creative friction, and the challenge of medium met them at every turn. Yet, these very tensions birthed a body of work that is layered, luminous, and alive with discovery.
Artworks That Cross Oceans
From textiles painted with mythic sea creatures to murals woven into fabric, their collaborative pieces shimmer with oceanic memory. Sculptures, rice paper scrolls, and independent canvases extend the voyage—each one a tribute to cultural crossings, artistic kinship, and the enduring spirit of exchange.
