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Artworks
Saju Kunhan b. 1983
Ancestral histories/ stories #1, 2021Image transfer on teak wood
(HSN Code: 970110)15 x 11 inchesCopyright Saju KunhanIn this series of works Saju is visualising the chronicles of his ancestors. These are the stories or in a way history of the people connected or lived in his...In this series of works Saju is visualising the chronicles of his ancestors. These are the stories or in a way history of the people connected or lived in his family's two ancestral homes. He has titled the work histories/stories because the distinction between story and history is somehow vanishing. There are 7 works in this series and each work is a visualisation of certain historic moments connected with the artist's ancestors. He has tagged individuals, objects and places in the work so it can be identified.
An ancestor of Saju's, named Nani was in Penang Island, another colony of British in Malaysia. This is a scene from Madras harbour where he along with other workers is getting ready to board the ship, in the early 1930's. So there was certain rules which everybody had to follow strictly. One was to shave all the hair from their body and then have a hot water bath. Later on collect their clothes and be in a queue for boarding.