வெற்றிடத்தில் மிகுதி : Abundance in the void

Rooted in the ethos of Dalit futurism, this exhibition confronts and seeks to transform the arbitrary structure of caste through a narrative of mutation and hybridity. The characters serve as a metaphor, challenging the assigned social places and established histories by embodying non-binary fluidity.

Coming from a lineage of farmers in the artists’ native Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, nature plays a recurring motif in the exhibition. Acting as a dual symbol, conveying both fruitfulness and abundance alongside the trauma associated with labor and bondage. It is wielded to both justify the position of the oppressed and exert power over them, creating a complex dialogue on the relationship between nature and social hierarchy.

Central to the exhibition is also the reclamation and reinvention of mythologies, particularly critiquing Hindu scriptures and ancient Sanskrit texts that perpetuate the discrimination of lower-caste individuals. The artworks expose the historical legitimation of caste slavery through these myths and call for a conscious resistance against the hegemonic Brahmanical spirituality that has upheld oppressive environments for millennia.Aiming to restore alternate timelines and ancestral traces, the exhibition champions bodily autonomy. In a deliberate act of countering the prevailing lack of positive imagery associated with Dalit communities, Siva disseminates affirmative depictions, envisioning a future that transcends existing stereotypes.