The bitter truth behind every ‘grain’

Who doesn’t like to consume fresh and non-toxic food? We all do, right? But how sure are we about the food we buy for ourselves and our family from the supermarkets that are claimed to be fresh, unadulterated and free from harmful pesticides and chemicals? This bitter truth is what the three artists—

K Sudheesh

, Binu Bhaskar and

PP Pradeep

are showcasing through their paintings titled, ‘

A Grain Of Truth

’. Here, the artists dwell on being conscious of the sap, which is a metaphor for our agrarian practices , even as they also feature images from Cherala, an imaginary island that’s believed to have been a pseudonym for Kerala, in the days past. The major themes of their paintings also explore the indestructible bond between humans and nature.

Conceptualised and curated by

Jitha Karthikeyan

, the exhibition throws light on the harsh reality of agricultural practices and the effects of new technologies in farming. “Every grain we consume has a bitter truth hidden within and this is the underlying concept of the show. It started off because of some personal experiences. When I lost people close to me who were diagnosed and affected by cancer and other lifestyle diseases, and that got us thinking about how there are so many diseases around us and no cures for them. We then moved to a deeper thought on how agricultural practices are not traditional farming anymore. Every food that we consume has gone through the unethical process of pesticide spray and adulteration, and that is what is slowly killing people. Well, art doesn’t provide any legislative answer here but it’s a way to make people think and ponder the issue so that people are aware of what they consume,” says Jitha Karthikeyan.


A Grain of Truth, @The Art, 41, Kasthuri Ranga Road, Alwarpet, from 11am to 6pm, till October 31