MUMBAI.- Sakshi presents Sujith SN’s second solo at Sakshi Gallery titled The Hour of Becoming. The show is on view till 3rd May, 2025.
Sujith’s body of work presents landscapes that are untethered to specific geographical locales. Much like a flâneur, the artist keenly observes the shifting contours of cities from the lush landscapes of Kerala, to metropolises like Hyderabad and Mumbai. Traces of these memories filter onto the artist’s works: dense foliage, backwaters, or the rendering of architecture.
In Sujith’s debut solo with Sakshi in 2008, The City and The Tower, the artist turned his attention to rapidly developing urban landscapes. Reflecting on his practice close to two decades later, urbanity marks its presence subtly, in the form of architectural elements, perhaps drawing from the artist's training as a civil draughtsman. In these green, eerie waters or arid landscapes, ghostly presences are felt and time is suspended. Yet, within this lushness, he introduces elements of unease—branches rendered as abstracted, spectral forms. While not always explicit, a quiet social tension underpins his work.
Light, colour and the handling of pigment remain central to Sujith’s practice. Working exclusively with tempera, the artist harnesses the medium to produce a kind of ethereal luminosity. In Prologue, for example, two wrestlers are encircled by a spot of luminous yellow light. Eschewing defined narratives, these works invite viewers into liminal landscapes that appear unsettling, at times, on the precipice of dissolution.
Born in 1980, in Baroda Sujith S.N. spent his formative years in Gujarat before his parents settled back in Palghat, Kerala. He obtained a BFA from the Fine Arts College, Thrissur and an MFA from the Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts, Fine Arts and Communication, Central University Hyderabad.
Sujith SN’s first solo exhibition was in 2008 at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai. He participated in the Khoj artist residency in Kolkata in 2009, and is the recipient of the FICA Emerging Artist Award (2011), and the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi State Award (2005). He was also longlisted for the Skoda Prize in 2011, and participated in the India Art Fair and Art Basel Hong Kong in 2016.
Sujith SN lives and works in Kochi.
Founded in 1986, Sakshi Gallery has been at the forefront of India’s contemporary art scene. Located in the heart of Mumbai’s Colaba art district, the gallery is celebrated for promoting a diverse array of Indian and international art.
Over nearly four decades, Sakshi Gallery has showcased renowned Indian artists such as Jehangir Sabavala, Manjit Bawa, Rekha Rodwittiya, Surendran Nair, and Manjunath Kamath among others. The gallery is equally dedicated to nurturing the next generation of artists, offering a vital platform for emerging talents and fostering a dynamic and evolving artistic dialogue.
In addition to its focus on Indian art, Sakshi Gallery has exhibited several acclaimed international artists, including El Anatsui, Gregory Crewdson, and Julian Opie, bringing their ground-breaking works to Indian audiences.
Expanding its influence beyond India, Sakshi Gallery has curated exhibitions in major art capitals across the globe and actively participates in international art fairs, consistently shaping and enriching the contemporary art landscape.
