K. R. Santhana Krishnan
As a typical south Indian artist from Kumbakonam, Santhana Krishnan believes in treasuring the heritage and culture that his 0ancestors built. What speaks more about our culture and heritage than the adobe that we live in, he asks. The home speaks about the past, present and future of a family and the most vital aspect to any home is the front door. His work revolves around this entrance. He paints wooden, soot-covered, kumkum and turmeric marking covered doors because they fascinate him more in comparison to the modern state of the art technology-driven doors. He believes that each door has a story to narrate, and there will always be people interested in that story.
“Some of my doors open into an interior with tulsitharas in the inner courtyards and some of my closed doors with a huge lock show faded house numbers and painted advertisements. Through this, I wish to depict the lives of the people living behind these doors. Most of my doors are not from urbanized cities but from the rural homes that I grew up watching every day. I know and believe that a door speaks volumes. It can either be kept wide open, inviting you in or it can be closed and keep a million secrets locked up. All it takes is a door to say the words a man cannot.”
To see artworks by K. R. Santhana Krishnan, click here
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Government College of Arts & Crafts, Kumbakonam
2000 Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Government College of Arts & Crafts, Chennai
SOLO SHOWS
2013 Duvaar, Shrishti art gallery, Hyderabad
2012 Traveling Doors, Kynkyny Art Gallery, Bangalore
2011 (Re) Creating authenticity, Focus Art Gallery, Chennai
2010 Art Singapore 2010 Suntec city, Singapore
2008 Open Doors Artsmartagallery, Trivandrum
2008 Beyond the threshold, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai
2006 The Doors focus gallery, Chennai
2002 Doors of India Manasthala Art Gallery, Chennai
GROUP SHOWS
2015 “Indian Artist Show”, Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong
2015 “Art is in the Air”, Gallery of Light Ductac, Dubai
2015 “Art Aesthetics & Utility”, Gallery Space, Hyderabad
2014 “Across The Border”, Asia House, London
2014 “India Art Month Show”, Art Hub, Abu Dhabi
2013 “Ethnic concurrence”, Asian Art Gallery, Boston. United States
2013 ART FOR LIFE-3, Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi
2008 Indian art in Capital art centre, Taipei, Taiwan
2012 Indian Contemporary Art Exhibition, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, School of Fine Arts Gallery, Mauritius
2012 Bold & Beautiful, Artzest Gallery, Dubai
2011 "Remembering Husain", Kynkyny Art Gallery, Bangalore
2010 Art aids Show in Park Sheraton, Chennai & Muse art gallery, Marriott, Hyderabad
2010 Art Bengaluru Contemporary Art Festival, UB City, Bangalore
2009 SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL, Kynkyny Art Gallery, Bangalore
2009 Shrishti Art Gallery, Calicut
2008 Indian art in Capital art centre, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 Enduring images, Athreyaa art gallery, Chennai
2007 Hues of south, Karnataka Chithrakala Parishath, Bangalore
2007 Hues of south, Vinnyasa Art Gallery, Chennai
2006 Hues of south show in a museum gallery, Mumbai
2002 Mamallapuram Group Show in Manasthala Art Gallery, Chennai
2000 Russian Cultural Centre, Chennai
1999 Thuriga - III Chitram Art Gallery, Cochin
1999 Thuriga - III Chitram Art Gallery, Cochin
1999 M.F.A Students shows, Lalit Kala Academy, Chennai
1998 Thuriga - I search through medium, Kumbakonam
1998 Thuriga - II Karnataka Chithrakala Parishath Art Gallery, Bangalore
1997 Futurist, Karnataka Chithrakala Parishat, Bangalore
