Panel Discussion
Cultures of Mourning
Indu Antony, Aryakrishnan Ramakrishnan, Sandeep Viswanath, Shilpa Vijayakrishnan
Directory of the Outsiders (First Edition), Indu Antony, 2023, Cotton, paper and print
Mourning can connote different things to different people. From a deeply individual way of processing grief, to a set of communal practices and customs, that differ by region, or by religion. But what of those that facilitate these spaces of mourning; whose labour enables our rituals of mourning? And those that fall outside of conventional frames — how do we remember lives that are erased in ways both literal, and metaphorical?
Join us for a panel discussion at MAP as we look at the practice of mourning and the various associations tied to it; from practices shaped by community identities and propped by unseen labour, to the individual processing of grief, memories and loss.
The panel, consisting of artists Aryakrishnan R and Indu Antony, researcher Sandeep Viswanath and moderated by Shilpa Vijayakrishnan, Head of Education & Outreach at MAP, will unpack the idea of mourning through personal, communal and socio-political lenses. In bringing together artist practitioners and academic research, it seeks to highlight different perspectives and socio-cultural realities that underlie how we mourn, grieve and remember.
This panel has been conceptualised as part of a collaboration with Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), Bangalore and has been curated under Living Cultures, MAP’s public programming theme for the quarter. Through this theme, we explore the practices and evolution of cultures: Shaping identity, representing beliefs, but also reimagined and revived by new encounters and changing contexts.
Bookings
Bookings are closed for this event.
Aryakrishnan Ramakrishnan
Aryakrishnan Ramakrishnan is an artist and curator based in Cochin and New Delhi, India. Their ongoing project, Sweet Maria Monument, is a monument for a transgender activist and performer who was murdered in 2012 in Kerala, India. The project was showcased in various spaces, including Clark House Mumbai (2017), Kochi Muziris Biennale and Queer Art Festival (2018), and Vancouver (2022).
Indu Antony
Indu Antony is a transdisciplinary artist based out of Bangalore and Kerala, India. She is known to explore tonalities of inward discussions, which later on bursts out into the communal spaces. Her work primarily revolves around the notion of spaces and their intangible character; in relation to the gendered body as a site of representation, by understanding feministic stands which gives way to performances and installations.
Sandeep Viswanath
Sandeep Viswanath is a senior consultant at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements’ Media Lab. He began his career in IT, but switched to filmmaking, creating documentaries that explored topics such as child labour, landless labourers and the influence of Bollywood on subaltern labour. His films were innovative and received recognition, and have been presented at festivals both nationally and internationally. He is passionate about teaching, film photography and single screen cinemas. Sandeep is an alumnus of TISS, Mumbai. He is currently pursuing a practice-based PhD; researching on the grave diggers of Bangalore.
Shilpa Vijayakrishnan
Shilpa Vijayakrishnan is the Head of Education & Outreach at MAP. With a postgraduate degree in Arts & Aesthetics from JNU, she was the former editor of the Tasveer Journal and has contributed articles to various publications. Shilpa has curated online narratives for MAP on Google Arts & Culture, covering topics such as Women in Hindi Cinema and the Pichwai painting tradition.
