Vasudhaa Narayanan at The Ramp Gallery

Kutty – The Youngest One

My grandparents are from Madurai, a small temple town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India. Having migrated to Nigeria when I was 3, I visited them in the summers and occasional winters, always dreading the harsh heat, my grandparents’ company and their Tamilian identity – their rituals, prayers, festivals, and habits embarrassed me. I rejected them as an attempt to present myself as a modern cosmopolitan city child.

Now as an adult I have so many questions – how do I convey my desire to say ‘longing’ in Tamil? Why do we perform specific rituals in death ceremonies? Why did you give me my name?  

In this body of work, I build a relationship with my grandparents after their passing. The photo and video function as an attempt to reintroduce me to them, rediscover them in their home and learn about myself – the youngest one in the family.

About Vasudhaa Narayanan
Vasudhaa Narayanan explores the complexities of identity, domesticity, and gender through conceptual photographs, sculptural elements, and performance. Her work is situated within the context of the Indian diaspora, confronting ideas of otherness within the patriarchal frameworks of culture and provokes one to question their biases towards the female abject.

Narayanan is the co-founder of JAGAH Collective. Through group exhibitions, performances, and self-published works created by artists within diverse South Asian communities, the goal of the collective is to encourage artists to reveal and uncover complex narratives rooted in South Asia.

Vasudhaa Narayanan (b. 1991, Bangalore, India) lives and works in San Francisco, CA. She has exhibited internationally at venues such as Southern Exposure (San Francisco, CA),  Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts – Project Space (New York, NY); the Goethe Institut (India); and recently throughout San Francisco including the Bass and Reiner (San Francisco, CA).

You can find her work at:
www.vasudhaa.com and on IG @vasudhaa

Meet The Artist
Vasudhaa Narayanan will be at SOMArts on May 2nd, 2019, from 6 – 9 pm. Visit The Ramp Gallery for a chance to meet the artist, talk about their work and inspiration, have a drink and enjoy their awesome artwork! While you’re here, stop by the opening reception of our Main Gallery exhibition, AGRARIANAA. A cash bar will be available all evening.