C.K. Kumaran, a drawing teacher from Perambra, is organising Sorrowful Journey, an exhibition of his pencil drawings, is on at the Kerala Lalithakala Academy Art Gallery. Each of the 26 pencil drawings has a story to tell.
Kumaran has used these drawings to respond to contemporary issues. They are creative, emotional and sarcastic. In one series, he has used ‘shirt’ as a dominant symbol to demonstrate male chauvinism.
He explains: “Even though in today’s world, shirt is not only used by men, I thought it is a good choice to express the emotions of a vulnerable woman.”
Kumaran has depicted different phases of weak and helpless women through his drawings. We see the emotional trauma undergone by a rape victim, an old woman who hangs herself after being sexually assaulted, a teenager who is locked inside a cyber-cage. Real victims —Soumya and Suryanelli penkutti —also grab attention.
A drawing which Kumaran names as Beejakramanam symbolises the helplessness of a pregnant school kid.
Nature is another core theme in Kumaran’s drawings. From deforestation to scarcity of water, a range of issues are beautifully tackled.
Kumaran has also done a few, inspired by famous photographs including the photo taken by Kevin Carter of a vulture and a starving kid and a photograph of Alan Kurdi, the boy who drowned and died due to refugee crisis at Syria. Kumaran has also sarcastically presented the witty trends of the so-called ‘new generation’.
