MIGRATION AND MEMORIES

In his installation Sukhdev Rathod explores his new home and surroundings. After several years in Vadodara, Sukhdev moved to a small village near the sea called Danda, located near the historic town of Murud Janjira in Maharashtra. The impact of moving and migrating to a completely different landscape has inspired this work. Living by the seashore he says, “I spend most evenings at the beach sitting and observing the rocks. These rocks have been there for ages and seem steeped in history. They also seem very welcoming to me and as I sit amongst them they seem to add my history to theirs.” His installation recreates the rocks from his surroundings while their placement on the wall changes their context, making their interpretation more open-ended for the viewer.

SUKHDEV RATHOD received his art education at M S University, Vadodara. He now lives and works near Murud Janjira in Maharashtra. Sukhdev has participated in several group shows in India and abroad. He is the recipient of the Nasreen Mohammadi Scholarship and Award in 2002 and 2003. He has worked as an apprentice to well-known artists such as Bhupen Khakhar, Gulam Mohammed and Nilima Sheikh in Vadodara, B V Suresh in Mumbai as well as Ray Meeker in Pondicherry. He has several large-scale architectural murals to his credit.