VP. Vasuhan - வாசுகன்
Biography
Jaffna
South India and northern Sri Lanka are geographically close and share the same culture, language and religion. They therefore have many similarities in their popular arts. I was born in the village of Alaveddy - Jaffna in the north of Sri Lanka in 1977. Inspiration came from my grandfather who was a farmer and with whom I lived a large part of my childhood. In this village I was immersed in traditional arts such as religious painting, embroidery, pottery, kolam, which are part of daily life. At nursery school I learned to work with plant colors. In Sri Lanka, the education system includes art as a compulsory subject, up to the baccalaureate. A large place was given to art at Mahajana College, Thellippalai, and a classroom was specifically dedicated to it.
Colombo
At the end of 1990, I moved to Colombo, due to the worsening ethnic conflict in my country. I study at Colombo Hindu College. Life in the capital broadens my vision. I visit local and international exhibitions and observe street artists. I discovered frescoes - in particular, representations of mythical female figures, such as the apsaras of Sigiriya - and batik. I also continue to develop watercolors. I discovered the Sinhalese language and culture, the old wooden masks used in the theater, and fashion.
Nicosia - Cyprus
At the beginning of 1996, I moved to Cyprus to begin studying hotel management. At this time, I met my teacher, Glyn Hughes, a Welshman, modern painter and art critic. He enrolled me in an art school in Kaimakili. I studied portraiture and figurative painting there. I then studied and worked in his workshop. I assist him with the organization of several exhibitions, art conferences and his visits to galleries on the island. In 1997, he organized the exhibition "Hommage to French Painters 1900-1960", in which I participated. I visit Israel and Egypt. It gives me a deeper understanding of Mediterranean civilization. I am inspired by Greek culture: language, archeology and landscape.
Paris
I arrived in France in 2001 after obtaining my diploma and therefore the end of my student visa. The first year, I worked on Ile de Ré. Then I moved to Paris. As a refugee in France and having previously only lived on islands, life is difficult for me. In 2004, Annick Sansoni organized my first solo exhibition, the title of which was No Name, No Face. I continued to exhibit in Paris and other French cities between 2004 and 2009. From 2009, at the University of Villetaneuse, I participated in workshops at the Art Department and took introductory courses in filmmaking documentaries. My request for refugee status was rejected four times... and finally accepted in early 2010. The suffering of my country resonates deeply within me, I am in agony. This despair inspires the painting Faces and Masks. I paint faces and masks. Finally, I studied ceramics for two years in Paris, to create masks using this technique.
Le Salon Indien - From 2013 to 2016, in association with the Indian poet and writer Arvind Appadourai, I managed and hosted Le Salon Indiean, a restaurant - art gallery located near the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris and noted by the 'Guide du Routard' Paris 2014 and 2015. More than 25 artists exhibited there at during these three years. During this period, I myself was able to exhibit three times.
During confinement, I am experimenting with different mediums and techniques for my masks and exploring Tamil calligraphy. I exhibited at the Carrousel du Louvre - Musée du Louvre and during the Art Capital event at the Grand Palais.
Finally, I am currently working on a retrospective book, to be published soon.
South India and northern Sri Lanka are geographically close and share the same culture, language and religion. They therefore have many similarities in their popular arts. I was born in the village of Alaveddy - Jaffna in the north of Sri Lanka in 1977. Inspiration came from my grandfather who was a farmer and with whom I lived a large part of my childhood. In this village I was immersed in traditional arts such as religious painting, embroidery, pottery, kolam, which are part of daily life. At nursery school I learned to work with plant colors. In Sri Lanka, the education system includes art as a compulsory subject, up to the baccalaureate. A large place was given to art at Mahajana College, Thellippalai, and a classroom was specifically dedicated to it.
Colombo
At the end of 1990, I moved to Colombo, due to the worsening ethnic conflict in my country. I study at Colombo Hindu College. Life in the capital broadens my vision. I visit local and international exhibitions and observe street artists. I discovered frescoes - in particular, representations of mythical female figures, such as the apsaras of Sigiriya - and batik. I also continue to develop watercolors. I discovered the Sinhalese language and culture, the old wooden masks used in the theater, and fashion.
Nicosia - Cyprus
At the beginning of 1996, I moved to Cyprus to begin studying hotel management. At this time, I met my teacher, Glyn Hughes, a Welshman, modern painter and art critic. He enrolled me in an art school in Kaimakili. I studied portraiture and figurative painting there. I then studied and worked in his workshop. I assist him with the organization of several exhibitions, art conferences and his visits to galleries on the island. In 1997, he organized the exhibition "Hommage to French Painters 1900-1960", in which I participated. I visit Israel and Egypt. It gives me a deeper understanding of Mediterranean civilization. I am inspired by Greek culture: language, archeology and landscape.
Paris
I arrived in France in 2001 after obtaining my diploma and therefore the end of my student visa. The first year, I worked on Ile de Ré. Then I moved to Paris. As a refugee in France and having previously only lived on islands, life is difficult for me. In 2004, Annick Sansoni organized my first solo exhibition, the title of which was No Name, No Face. I continued to exhibit in Paris and other French cities between 2004 and 2009. From 2009, at the University of Villetaneuse, I participated in workshops at the Art Department and took introductory courses in filmmaking documentaries. My request for refugee status was rejected four times... and finally accepted in early 2010. The suffering of my country resonates deeply within me, I am in agony. This despair inspires the painting Faces and Masks. I paint faces and masks. Finally, I studied ceramics for two years in Paris, to create masks using this technique.
- Martinique - First exhibition outside France, at the Maison de la Bourse Saint-Pierre de la Martinique in March 2011, during the carnival. My mask paintings are very successful on the islands. The nature and food make me feel at home there. Japan - In Kagoshima in 2016: indoor and outdoor exhibition Tha-Varam, on the theme of nature. During a visit to the History Museum in Tokyo, sculptures from the 4th century inspire me to work on my masks in earth colors and to devote myself to
collage. This is my current work.
Le Salon Indien - From 2013 to 2016, in association with the Indian poet and writer Arvind Appadourai, I managed and hosted Le Salon Indiean, a restaurant - art gallery located near the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris and noted by the 'Guide du Routard' Paris 2014 and 2015. More than 25 artists exhibited there at during these three years. During this period, I myself was able to exhibit three times.
During confinement, I am experimenting with different mediums and techniques for my masks and exploring Tamil calligraphy. I exhibited at the Carrousel du Louvre - Musée du Louvre and during the Art Capital event at the Grand Palais.
Finally, I am currently working on a retrospective book, to be published soon.
