Posted on 22 March 2026:

Knowing the Unknown: Paramesh D. Jolad’s Environmental Performance in Puducherry

In the quiet yet vibrant lanes of Puducherry, art will take to the streets on 24 March 2026, when Paramesh D. Jolad, a multidisciplinary artist from Bangalore, presents his public performance “Knowingly Unknown.” 

This evocative work, unfolding from TASMAI Centre for Art & Culture to the Kosakkadai Street Terracotta Market, Puducherry,  is not merely a spectacle—it is a meditation on the fragile relationship between human behavior and the environment.

Paramesh’s art thrives on paradoxes. Wearing an eagle’s head mask, he attempts to draw the image of a bottle with closed eyes—a gesture that embodies both struggle and symbolism. The eagle, a creature of vision, becomes blindfolded in this act, mirroring humanity’s own blindness in confronting the menace of single-use plastics. His performance does not claim to offer solutions; instead, it awakens consciousness, urging viewers to reflect on the impossibility of easy answers and the necessity of behavioral change.

Since 2016, Paramesh has carried his performances across India, with more than hundred interventions that challenge audiences to rethink their relationship with society, environment, and self. His second performance at TASMAI continues this trajectory, weaving together visual art and live action to provoke dialogue. By situating his work in public spaces, he transforms everyday streets into stages of awareness, where art becomes a catalyst for questioning and renewal.

“KNOWINGLY UNKNOWN” IS NOT JUST AN EVENT—IT IS A REMINDER THAT ART, AT ITS MOST POWERFUL, DOES NOT RESOLVE BUT REVEALS. IT MAKES VISIBLE THE UNSEEN STRUGGLES, THE CONTRADICTIONS WE LIVE WITH, AND THE URGENT NEED TO REIMAGINE OUR CHOICES.