Art Show : Voyages: The Ancient Maritime Silk Route
Curated by Jaya Mani | Presented by DRAVIDAM, Bangalore
Featuring Textile Art by Gunjan Jain & Paintings, Sculpture, and Collaborative Works by Suresh Muthukulam
Venue: Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
Preview: Saturday, 6th September 2025, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
On view: 7th – 9th September 2025 |
11:30 am – 7:30 pm
(closes at 5:30 pm on 9th September)
‘Voyages: The Ancient Maritime Silk Route’, is an art show drawing inspiration from theancient maritime trade and cultural exchange between the coastal regions ofSouth India and the Southeast Asian countries, beginning as early as the 3rdcentury CE and till the 15th century CE. Working towards the show has been a modern-day‘voyage of discovery’ for the two artists, Gunjan Jain and SureshMuthukulam and for me, as the curator of this show. We are not scholars onthe subject of maritime voyages which perhaps worked in our favour and so ourimaginations roamed free and unhindered which naturally led to the emergence ofmagic.Unlike the other kingdoms which existed on theIndian subcontinent, the Pallava empire which ruled the Southeastern coast ofthe Indian peninsula did not impose cultural restrictions on people who wishedto cross the seas. The Chola Empire had a significant influence on the cultureof Southeast Asia through trade and the spread of Indian religion and art.Southern Indian traders, adventurers, teachersand priests continued to be the dominating influences in Southeast Asia untilabout 1500 CE. Hinduism and Buddhism both spread to these countries from Indiafor many centuries. Shiva, Vishnu and Garuda are major deities in Bali. Asection of Balinese Brahmins refer to themselves as Brahmin-Boudha-Kalinga.Lord Jagannath is mentioned in one of the Balinese prayers. The festival of MasakapamKapesih is celebrated in Bali with the belief that a person is going to hisoriginal homeland of Kalinga. The old traditions are still celebrated in the annual Bali Jatra, or BoitaBandana festival celebrated for five days duringOctober/November in Odisha. It marks the time when mariners set sail for the islands in theIndonesian archipelago which ends in the Bali islands. Kerala, Odisha andSoutheast Asia have several ancient similarities in art, textiles, and seavoyages. Art from Keralam and Kalinga have influenced art in Southeast Asia andvice-versa.The cultures have a deep reverence for natureoften mirrored in the use of natural motifs in their art, rituals, daily lives andthe importance of agricultural practices. The worship of deities, rituals, andfestivals also reflect similar practices. Traditional crafts, such as textileweaving, pottery, and wood carving, often shared techniques and motifs, resultedin recognizable styles across cultures. Similar garments like the mundu,lungi, and phanek are worn in India and Southeast Asia. The closeproximity of countries in Southeast Asia allowed for easier movement ofartists, ideas, and materials. This geographical closeness fostered a sharedaesthetic and artistic practices.Thesesimilarities, might well have been true for much of the coastal Southern regionswhere the Cheras, Pallavas and Cholas were dominant and known for their maritimevoyages to the Southeast Asian islands and China. Connecting the dotsbetween the States of Kerala and Odisha came from my interest and promotion ofthe Kerala mural art tradition and almost forty years of working closely withone of Kerala’s top Mural artists, Suresh Muthukulam. A deep interest andinvolvement in the promotion of handwoven textiles and a love for the saree,led to my meeting the talented Textile Artist and Designer, Gunjan Jain, whosework on Ikat and other weaves in Odisha is well-acknowledged by lovers of handwoventextiles and the saree. In December2022, Gunjan visited Kerala. We spoke largely of mural art and SureshMuthukulam’s contemporary work and his openness to work with mediums that werenew for him and so the two artists discussed their work on Suresh’s turf. Theinitial discussions were promising and the theme of maritime voyages seemed tobe the best anchor for both weave and painting. The oceans were to be our drawing board andmythical sea creatures, our inspiration. A year later, we met again in Odishaso that Suresh could understand how hand looms worked, the complexity of Odishaweaves and we some weavers working with Vriksh Design Studios. There was adefinite sense of excitement and trepidation. It was the first time Suresh wasto work with textiles and the weavers had to understand a mural artist’sthought process. Language was a frustrating barrier. We went through periods ofhope which would at times turn into hopelessness. There were times of mutualappreciation and camaraderie and times that inhibition would be apparent andventing would be demoralising but finally it all came together with somenail-biting delays. This voyage of learning and discovery is now ashore. The windspushing the sails of this collaborative show came in the avataar offriends especially from my home-state of Kerala and Odisha – a State with whichI feel a deep connect. Over the centuries and to the present-day, Kerala andOdisha have enjoyed close ties and this was reason enough for a show linkingthe two regions which are culturally connected and also cherished anancientmaritime history.
The Artists & Their Collaboration
Gunjan Jain, a Delhi-based textile artist and designer, is known for her deep engagement with Odisha’s weaving traditions, particularly Ikat. Working closely with master weavers under her label Vriksh Designs, her textiles reflect not only craftsmanship but also cultural storytelling.
Suresh Muthukulam, one of Kerala’s most acclaimed mural artists, trained rigorously in the Kerala mural tradition before expanding into contemporary forms on canvas, rice paper, and wood. His practice reflects a seamless blend of traditional discipline and contemporary imagination.
For Voyages, the two artists embarked on a collaborative experiment—Gunjan bringing her handloom traditions, Suresh his mural artistry. Their creative journey began in Kerala in 2022, where the dialogue between mural art and textile weaving first took shape. The theme of maritime voyages emerged as the perfect “anchor” for their shared exploration.
Later, in Odisha, Suresh immersed himself in the world of handlooms, interacting with weavers to understand the complexity of weaving techniques. The collaboration was not without its challenges—barriers of language, moments of creative friction, and the sheer task of translating mural imagery onto textiles. Yet, these very struggles enriched the process, culminating in works that are layered, magical, and infused with discovery.
Their collaborative works—paintings on textile, murals reimagined in weave, sculptures, and independent works on canvas and rice paper—bring alive mythical sea creatures, oceanic journeys, and cultural exchanges across shores.
