Vivan Sundaram

Vivan Sundaram

Vivan Sundaram (born 1943) studied painting in Baroda and London. Since 1990 he has made sculpture, installation, photography, and video. His major works include the installations Memorial (1993), Sher-Gil Archive (1995), and History Project (1998); Re-take of Amrita (1991–92), digital photographs; video installations, Tracking (2003) and Black Gold (2012); Gagawaka (2011) and Post Mortem (2013–14), where he crossed over into fashion performance; 409 Ramkinkars (2015), a collaboration with theatre directors; and Meanings of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946 (2017), a public art event in collaboration with Ashish Rajadhyaksha. Sundaram has exhibited in the Biennales of Sydney, Seville, Taipei, Sharjah, Shanghai, Havana, Johannesburg, Kwangju, Berlin, and in the Asia-Pacific Triennial, Brisbane. He has had solo shows outside India at the Fowler Museum, Los Angeles (2015); Sepia International, New York (2006, 2008); Walsh Gallery, Chicago (2005, 2008); and Photographers Gallery, Copenhagen (2003). He has curated many exhibitions as well as organized a number of artists' workshops, both national and international. Vivan Sundaram is the editor of a two-volume book, Amrita Sher-Gil: a self-portrait in letters & writings (2010). He is a founder-member of the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust as well as the Journal of Arts & Ideas, and managing trustee of the Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation (SSAF) set up in 2016 by him and his sister Navina Sundaram.