Artist-curator Vishal Kumaraswamy returns to Arts House in March and April to take over Arts House with two exhibitions: ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಣೆ nireekshane and ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala.
ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಣೆ nireekshane is a Dravidian Kannada word meaning ‘the act of seeing’ and ‘a detailed critical inspection’.
Delving into photographic practices emerging from the margins, ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಣೆ nireekshane features over 150 pieces that draw parallels within social hierarchies and traverse the themes of domesticity, belonging and landscape.
Programmed as part of PHOTO 2024, ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಣೆ nireekshane showcases traditional and innovative image-making artists from South Asia and its diaspora, including Arun Vijai Mathavan, Jaisingh Nageswaran, Krithika Sriram, M. Palani Kumar, Priya Suresh Kambli and Sadia Marium.
ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala borrows its title from Devanooru Mahadeva’s book, which juxtaposes Dalit imagination against the brutality of lived experience. It is a response to the complicated histories of migration, displacement, class, identity, race and queer reclamations.
Unfolding across the North Melbourne Town Hall during Dalit History Month in April, ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala is a multi-format activation by Australian and international artists that features an exhibition, performances, talks, film screenings (with one at Fed Square), communal meals and tours.
ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala will include two new major commissions: ALAM/ ع مَلَ by current Gertrude Contemporary studio artist, Elyas Alavi and Caste-Pital by Sajan Mani, the first Indian to be awarded the Berlin Art Prize.
ALAM/ ع مَلَ is a large-scale sculptural work with videos and performances about Islamic ritual and marginalised queer identities.
Caste-Pital is an expanded performance installation that features sculptural objects set between experiences of colonisation, missionary-led education and growing up in a Dalit community of rubber tappers, where latex is collected from rubber trees.
ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala will also include works by Peter Waples-Crowe, Yaseera Moosa, Priyageetha Dia, Jagath Dheerasekara and Tabitha Percy. The exhibition extends outside onto Queensberry and Errol Streets with Osheen Siva’s window commission: உயர்வு Uyirvu illustrating a history of resistance and a future filled with regenerative joy.
ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಣೆ nireekshane and ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala are two expressions of Arts House’s Equity—Builder. Launched in late 2023, the Equity—Builder is a commitment to build a safer ecology for artists and amplify voices from communities who experience barriers to access in artistic, cultural and civic participation.
