Yusuf Arakkal retrospective showcases the artist's journey over four decades
As one steps into the white-walled, high-ceilinged hall on the first floor of the Durbar Hall Art Centre, the Last Supper I at the far end screams 'look at me' and 'keep looking at me.' It is very hard to take one's eyes off the six-feet-by-eight-feet oil on canvas painting.
Paintings from the late Yusuf Arakkal's Christ series are on display on all the walls. If The Pieta, Gethsemane Prayer, The Prayer, The Baptism induce a sense of peace, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection and Crucifixion and Resurrection are moving. While some of the works in the series mark a departure from the conventional imagery (Caucasian) with a Christ with marked Afro-Asian features, some of the works veer toward the conventional.
Celebration of Solitude and Humanity, as a retrospective ought to, is a comprehensive look at not just Arakkal, the artist, but also his preoccupations as a human being — it is an intersectionality of aspects that shaped his sensibility. We get to travel with him, as he evolves in his practice and finds his individualistic, artistic idioms.
Through 40 years of Yusuf's works
The works span 40-odd years from the 1980s to his demise in 2016, marking his creative trajectory. By no means diminutive in size, imagination, creativity or execution, the show is, 'wow-inspiring'.
An introductory note informs us of Arakkal's evolution as an artist. It tells us how despite an early bent towards abstraction, he went on to use figures as his primary mode of expression. Abstract as some of the works are, look carefully and one sees more.
The retrospective was first mounted at Bengaluru in 2022, after what Sara Arakkal, Arakkal's wife, art curator and dealer says, 'This is a major show for me. A lot of preparation and studying on how to put together a retrospective. A year's worth of planning went into it. We were, after all, revisiting almost 50 years of Yusuf's works.'
This was also a way of showing works that were 'stuck at home'. Like the current show, the Bengaluru showcase put on display his entire oeuvre (excluding those in private collections) be it paintings or sculptures wrought in a variety of media such as copper, steel, aluminium, and terracotta.
An introduction and a revisit
It is an entire textbook for practitioners of abstract works, a lesson in being intentional with their practice. The absence of conventional visual elements does not have to be chaotic, that the 'abstract art' can communicate. This 'homecoming' show may well be an introduction of the artist to a generation, and a revisiting for those who have known him and are familiar with his works. Although she would like a showcase at the Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB), Sara says, 'The commercial aspect is secondary, my main aim is that I want people to see Yusuf's works.'
The canvases are by no means easy, they seem to be the result of deep reflection and introspection. As one walks through the gallery one gets a sense of the artist — how the very personal is also political.
The works on show are from the series Insolitude, The Street, Urban Uncertainties, Ganga, Linear Expressions, Wall, Inner Fire, Kite, The Child, Tribute to Masters, Basheer, besides some of his earlier works and later works.
Social commentary
While some of the paintings derive from the human condition or rather the isolation of being human, the others are social commentary like the triptych, serigraph War, Guernica reoccurs, a hat doff to Picasso's Guernica but placed within the Indian context of the Godhra, the starting point of the 2002 riots. Done in 2003, it communicates the discomfort the artist would have felt.
The paintings of the Tribute to Masters series are testimony to his cosmopolitanism besides showing how aware he was of the art and artists of the world. Others from the series like (Francis) Bacon's Man, Boy and Priest, Francis Bacon's Study of Lucien Freud, Toulouse Lautrec, and Modgiliani for example show how he was an artist of the world. Then there are the Faces of Creativity, the pen and ink drawings of 135 contemporary Indian artists, which shows his engagement and interest in the works of peers.
The sculptures, from the Wheel, Chair and Flight series, show an artist who is unafraid to explore various media and means of expression. That gives the viewer an insight into their breadth of vision and being able to articulate their creativity.
For instance the Arto Mobile, a copper hued 1956 Fiat Millicento placed at the entrance of the gallery, the dull orange a contrast to the grey of the rainy day. The car with an armour plate-like metal covering of art, according to the accompanying note, brings together elements of the Harappan and Egyptian civilizations. The relief work has images of the wheel, hieroglyphics and the surface of the car reminiscent of the planned lines of the Harappan cities, for instance. The automobile thus becomes a vehicle connecting the two, in a manner of speaking. If you have not yet caught the show, this is your cue. It will be well worth your time.
The show, part of the KLKA Retrospective of Eminent Artist Series - VIII, presented by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Sara Arakkal Galerie concludes on June 24
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The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Yusuf Arakkal retrospective showcases the artist's journey over four decades
As one steps into the white-walled, high-ceilinged hall on the first floor of the Durbar Hall Art Centre, the Last Supper I at the far end screams 'look at me' and 'keep looking at me.' It is very hard to take one's eyes off the six-feet-by-eight-feet oil on canvas painting. Paintings from the late Yusuf Arakkal's Christ series are on display on all the walls. If The Pieta, Gethsemane Prayer, The Prayer, The Baptism induce a sense of peace, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection and Crucifixion and Resurrection are moving. While some of the works in the series mark a departure from the conventional imagery (Caucasian) with a Christ with marked Afro-Asian features, some of the works veer toward the conventional. Celebration of Solitude and Humanity, as a retrospective ought to, is a comprehensive look at not just Arakkal, the artist, but also his preoccupations as a human being — it is an intersectionality of aspects that shaped his sensibility. We get to travel with him, as he evolves in his practice and finds his individualistic, artistic idioms. Through 40 years of Yusuf's works The works span 40-odd years from the 1980s to his demise in 2016, marking his creative trajectory. By no means diminutive in size, imagination, creativity or execution, the show is, 'wow-inspiring'. An introductory note informs us of Arakkal's evolution as an artist. It tells us how despite an early bent towards abstraction, he went on to use figures as his primary mode of expression. Abstract as some of the works are, look carefully and one sees more. The retrospective was first mounted at Bengaluru in 2022, after what Sara Arakkal, Arakkal's wife, art curator and dealer says, 'This is a major show for me. A lot of preparation and studying on how to put together a retrospective. A year's worth of planning went into it. We were, after all, revisiting almost 50 years of Yusuf's works.' This was also a way of showing works that were 'stuck at home'. Like the current show, the Bengaluru showcase put on display his entire oeuvre (excluding those in private collections) be it paintings or sculptures wrought in a variety of media such as copper, steel, aluminium, and terracotta. An introduction and a revisit It is an entire textbook for practitioners of abstract works, a lesson in being intentional with their practice. The absence of conventional visual elements does not have to be chaotic, that the 'abstract art' can communicate. This 'homecoming' show may well be an introduction of the artist to a generation, and a revisiting for those who have known him and are familiar with his works. Although she would like a showcase at the Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB), Sara says, 'The commercial aspect is secondary, my main aim is that I want people to see Yusuf's works.' The canvases are by no means easy, they seem to be the result of deep reflection and introspection. As one walks through the gallery one gets a sense of the artist — how the very personal is also political. The works on show are from the series Insolitude, The Street, Urban Uncertainties, Ganga, Linear Expressions, Wall, Inner Fire, Kite, The Child, Tribute to Masters, Basheer, besides some of his earlier works and later works. Social commentary While some of the paintings derive from the human condition or rather the isolation of being human, the others are social commentary like the triptych, serigraph War, Guernica reoccurs, a hat doff to Picasso's Guernica but placed within the Indian context of the Godhra, the starting point of the 2002 riots. Done in 2003, it communicates the discomfort the artist would have felt. The paintings of the Tribute to Masters series are testimony to his cosmopolitanism besides showing how aware he was of the art and artists of the world. Others from the series like (Francis) Bacon's Man, Boy and Priest, Francis Bacon's Study of Lucien Freud, Toulouse Lautrec, and Modgiliani for example show how he was an artist of the world. Then there are the Faces of Creativity, the pen and ink drawings of 135 contemporary Indian artists, which shows his engagement and interest in the works of peers. The sculptures, from the Wheel, Chair and Flight series, show an artist who is unafraid to explore various media and means of expression. That gives the viewer an insight into their breadth of vision and being able to articulate their creativity. For instance the Arto Mobile, a copper hued 1956 Fiat Millicento placed at the entrance of the gallery, the dull orange a contrast to the grey of the rainy day. The car with an armour plate-like metal covering of art, according to the accompanying note, brings together elements of the Harappan and Egyptian civilizations. The relief work has images of the wheel, hieroglyphics and the surface of the car reminiscent of the planned lines of the Harappan cities, for instance. The automobile thus becomes a vehicle connecting the two, in a manner of speaking. If you have not yet caught the show, this is your cue. It will be well worth your time. The show, part of the KLKA Retrospective of Eminent Artist Series - VIII, presented by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Sara Arakkal Galerie concludes on June 24
New Indian Express
11-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Remembering Yusuf Arakkal
Long before Yusuf Arakkal's canvases found their place in galleries across the globe, his life began with loss, escape, and an unrelenting hunger to express. Orphaned at the age of seven and sent away to a boarding school, he 'fled' from Kozhikode to Bengaluru as a teenager, not in search of fame — but emancipation. On a quiet weekday afternoon, the Durbar Hall Art Gallery in Kochi breathes with the soul of this man who saw the world not as it appeared, but as it truly felt. Yusuf, the late master of brooding canvases and silent cries, returns to Kochi — not in person, but through an overwhelming retrospective that feels more like a homecoming than an exhibition. That journey — marked by struggle, survival, and the solitude of being unseen — etched itself permanently into his art. Yusuf's figures were rarely whole. Often bald, genderless, hunched or expressionless, they stood like echoes of those society forgets. 'He always said that figure was himself,' says Sara Arakkal, his wife, lifelong collaborator and curator of his legacy. 'He was not bald. He was not a woman. But he saw himself in all the disregarded.' Over the next five decades, Yusuf would become one of India's most compelling modern artists, not only for his technical brilliance but for his insistence on portraying the invisible. His subjects were migrants, daily-wage workers, refugees, crying spoke not in slogans but in sighs. 'He gave dignity to those who have none,' Sara says. 'He painted their silences.' Though his artistic core was forged in solitude, his career blossomed with recognition. After receiving his diploma in painting from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in 1973, Yusuf's work would go on to be exhibited in New York, Paris, London, and Singapore. Among his many accolades are the National Award (1983), the Karnataka Lalit Kala Akademi Award, and the Lorenzo de Medici Gold Medal at the Florence Biennale. Yet to Sara, his greatest masterpiece wasn't a particular painting, but the spirit behind them. 'His life was art. His breath was art,' she says. 'He never did it for success. Even when we had nothing, he would still paint.' He worked as a technician in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), but later quit the job to pursuit the creative calling. He was a sculptor, poet, and a thinker — a man who carried within him both machinery and mysticism. 'There was something divine in him,' Sara reflects.
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Indian Express
‘It was chaos outside at Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's wedding': Security manager reveals celeb wedding prep, explains no-phone policy at Katrina Kaif-Vicky Kaushal wedding
Bollywood celebrity weddings in India are seen like a festival by their fans. Even though most fans are just following them on social media, they are constantly hooked to their phones hoping to see the first glimpse of their favourite actor as a bride/groom. They want to know everything that's happening at the wedding function, and can't wait to find out who danced on which song. With a lot of focus on the event, celebrities have to extra careful with their security detail during such events. Yusuf Ibrahim, who handles the security detail of Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, and many other celebrities, recently shared that he had to stay outside Alia and Ranbir's house, which was also their wedding venue, for seven straight days because there were more than 300 media persons present. Talking on Upesh Jangwal's YouTube channel, Yusuf said, 'I was on security detail for seven days at Alia and Ranbir's wedding. I was there for at least 18 hours every day. I didn't even go up for a minute to see what was happening inside. Because outside their gate, there were at least 300 media persons stationed at all hours. It was chaos.' Yusuf said that there were multiple representative from every channel and all of them had their vans as well, which created a lot of chaos on the road. ALSO READ | Sikandar: Anurag Kashyap's right; Bollywood is doomed if stars like Salman Khan enable the Snapchat-ification of cinema He also spoke about Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal's wedding which had a strict no-phone policy. 'At Vicky-Katrina's wedding, there was a no-phone policy. Phones weren't allowed at the venue and no one was allowed to click any pictures,' he said and recalled that at Varun Dhawan's wedding with Natasha Dalal, no outsider was allowed to enter the venue for three days. 'At Varun's wedding, no one was allowed to go in for three days. Varun himself did not leave the venue for three days. So we had to take care that no press people take any pictures sneakily,' he said. Yusuf shared that he is often asked about what goes on inside a celebrity wedding but he never gets a chance to experience any of that since his job is to take care of the security, and he likes to focus on doing his job well.
