Chennai: A sketch of Ambedkar burning the only book he hated, the Manusmriti; a sculpture of a cracked foot symbolising social discrimination; Rohith Vemula’s iconic words, ‘My birth is my fatal accident’.
The fifth edition of the Dalit Aesthetics Art Show 2026 titled ‘The Whole Story’, on at the Lalit Kala Akademi, brings together 36 artists from across the country. Presented by Neelam Art Collective, founded by filmmaker Pa Ranjith, the show is held as part of the Vaanam Festival, an annual cultural initiative that brings together artists, thinkers, and audiences to engage with issues of social justice, identity, and creative expression.
This year’s edition honours senior artist Savindra Sawarkar. “He was the first person who started using the word ‘Dalit art’, in the 1960s and 1970s, says Prema Revathy, who represents Neelam Art Collective. “His work speaks about Varnashrama, how Buddhism is an alternative to that and how dalits are taking up Buddhism.”
The show is loosely divided into two sections, says Revathy. “On the one hand are the everyday crises and the struggles of resistance. But more important is the other side, the joy, the celebrations and contributions of dalit people to society. We also have a whole gallery of work on Ambedkar,” she says. The exhibition is being held in April as it is Ambedkar’s birth month and observed as dalit history month.
Natarajan Gangadaran’s installation speaks about six dalit women who have done incredible work but whose struggles, he says, have “always been invisible”. “They include Krishnammal Jagannathan, Meenammal, Veerammal, Annapoorniammal and Sathyavani Muthu,” he says. Melody Dorcas’ work looks at war and genocide while Tamil artist Osheen Siva’s is futuristic and dystopic, employing the fluorescent colours of the black art movement. “My works have been influenced by Afrofeaturism and indigenous featurism. Another area I’m interested in is counter mythology, which looks into denaturalising and foregrounding marginalised histories and culture and looks into stories and histories that are not within the dominant Hindu canon,” says Osheen.
“Ajay Kumar is a non-Dalit artist but has created an animation about his own struggles forming a relationship with Ambedkar’s works. The show will be on till April 18.
Courtesy : TOI
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