Alongside our current exhibition, Karuppu, join us for a free online in-conversation event between our exhibiting artist Osheen Siva with Jelena Sofronijevic, producer of EMPIRE LINES podcast and Nicole Thiara, researcher of Dalit and Adivasi literature.
Together, they will explore topics related to Osheen’s practice; their inspiration from cultural aesthetics that explore speculative futures and racial identity, including Afrofuturism. Osheen’s work uses science fiction, mythology, and religious heritage amidst their love of comic books and the vibrant soul of South India. Their artworks imagine fantastical dreamscapes, whilst reclaiming and reinventing Indian folktales and myths to imagine a decolonised future.
This event will be live streamed on YouTube, with auto generated closed captions. During the live event there will be the opportunity to ask questions.
Osheen Siva is a multidisciplinary artist from Thiruvannamalai, currently based in Goa. Through the lens of surrealism, speculative fiction and science fiction and rooted in their Dalit and Tamil heritage, Osheen imagines new worlds of decolonised dreamscapes, futuristic oases with mutants and monsters and narratives of queer and feminine power.
Jelena Sofronijevic is a producer, curator, writer, and researcher, who makes content at the intersections of cultural history, politics, and the arts. Beyond their works in print they are the producer of EMPIRE LINES, a podcast which uncovers the unexpected flows of empires through art, and historicity, a new series of audio walking tours, exploring how cities got to be the way they are, recorded on location in London (2022) and Tokyo (2023). Their full portfolio of work is available on their website, and social media.
Nicole Thiara is Co-Lead of Nottingham Trent University’s Postcolonial and Global Studies Research Group and Principal Investigator on the AHRC-funded Research Network ‘Writing, Analysing, Translating Dalit Literature’ and its Follow-on Grant ‘On Page and on Stage: Celebrating Dalit and Adivasi Literatures and Performing Arts’. She teaches postcolonial and contemporary literature at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Her area of research is Dalit, Adivasi and diasporic South Asian literature and her current research project focuses on the representation of modernity in Dalit literature.
Don’t miss the first UK exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Osheen Siva,entitled ‘Karuppu’ (கருப்பு – meaning darkness/black in Tamil). The exhibition includes drawings and paintings, collaborative tapestries crafted with local woman artisans, and the incorporation of leather, laden with political and caste contexts in India.
Originally from Thiruvannamalai in South India, and currently based in Goa, Siva is an acclaimed artist whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, performance and public art. As a digital illustrator they have collaborated with leading global brands including Apple, Gucci, and Meta.
Taking a cue from Afrofuturism, Siva’s work brings together science fiction, mythology, heritage, their love of comic books, and the vibrant, joyful colours of South India to create fantastical characters and dreamscapes, reclaiming and reinventing Indian folktales and myths to imagine a decolonised future.
Siva’s work is rooted in their Dalit and Tamil heritage. Dalit translates as ‘broken, divided, split, shattered’ and Dalits are among India’s most marginalised citizens, condemned to the lowest echelons of society by a rigid caste hierarchy. Karuppu – meaning darkness or black in Tamil – carries associations with ‘evil’ in Hindu mythology and is often used in reference to the lower caste and the ‘untouchables’. Siva navigates the complexities of Dalit history, offering a powerful and evocative exploration of identity, resistance, and the quest for a liberated future.
A self-taught illustrator and muralist from Thiruvannamalai, India, Osheen Siva imagines a brave new world of decolonized dreamscapes and narratives of queer power
Siva’s Dalit Futurism reclaims the word Karuppu, seeking to invert and transform the arbitrary structure of caste through a narrative of mutation and hybridity. The beautiful mutant characters serve as a metaphor, challenging assigned social status and established histories with non-binary fluidity, championing bodily autonomy, and highlighting queer and feminine power.
Central to the exhibition is the reclamation and reinvention of Indian mythologies. Siva’s work critiques Hindu scriptures and ancient Sanskrit texts that perpetuate the discrimination of lower-caste individuals. Deliberately countering the lack of positive imagery associated with Dalit communities, Siva creates progressive depictions, envisioning a future that transcends existing stereotypes.
Exploring their heritage in the farming communities of Tamil Nadu, nature is a recurring motif in Siva’s work. Acting as a dual symbol, the natural world conveys fruitfulness and abundance and also highlights the trauma associated with labour and bondage, creating a complex dialogue between nature and social hierarchy.
Images by Osheen Siva, 2024.
எதிர்காலம் நம்முடையது (Ethirkalam Namathathé), 2022, Embroidery on cotton.எதிர்பார் (Ethirpar), 2023, Embroidery on cotton fabric.இணைInai (Inai), 2021, Ink, acrylic and on canvas.நண்பர்கள் (Nanbargal), 2024, Acrylic on canvas.வளர்ச்சி (Valarchy), 2024, Acrylic on canvasInstallation detailInstallation detailInstallation detailபரிணாமம் (Parinaamam), 2023, Ink and acrylic on canvas.கற்பனயுலகு (Karpanaiulagu), 2023, Ink on lokta paper.ஒற்றுமை (Wottrumai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.வணக்கம் (Vannakam), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.எதிர்காலம் (Ethirkalam), 2023, Ink and gouache on lokta paper.அழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewஅழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அமர், (Amar) 04, 2024, Acrylic on canvas.; நெருக்கம் (Warmth), 2021, Ink, acrylic and aerosol on paper; வலிமை (Valimai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paperInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) கற்பனயுலகு (Arcadia), 2023, and உருவம் (Uruvam) 01, 02, and 03, 2023Installation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அழகு (Aḻaku) 02, 01, and 03 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) உருவம் (Uruvam) 03, 02, and 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) இளவரசி (Elavarasi) 1, 2, and 3, 2023, Acrylic on canvas.
எதிர்காலம் நம்முடையது (Ethirkalam Namathathé), 2022, Embroidery on cotton.எதிர்பார் (Ethirpar), 2023, Embroidery on cotton fabric.இணைInai (Inai), 2021, Ink, acrylic and on canvas.நண்பர்கள் (Nanbargal), 2024, Acrylic on canvas.வளர்ச்சி (Valarchy), 2024, Acrylic on canvasInstallation detailInstallation detailInstallation detailபரிணாமம் (Parinaamam), 2023, Ink and acrylic on canvas.கற்பனயுலகு (Karpanaiulagu), 2023, Ink on lokta paper.ஒற்றுமை (Wottrumai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.வணக்கம் (Vannakam), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paper.எதிர்காலம் (Ethirkalam), 2023, Ink and gouache on lokta paper.அழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewஅழகு (Aḻaku) 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper.Installation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அமர், (Amar) 04, 2024, Acrylic on canvas.; நெருக்கம் (Warmth), 2021, Ink, acrylic and aerosol on paper; வலிமை (Valimai), 2021, Ink and acrylic on paperInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation viewInstallation view(Left to right) கற்பனயுலகு (Arcadia), 2023, and உருவம் (Uruvam) 01, 02, and 03, 2023Installation viewInstallation view(Left to right) அழகு (Aḻaku) 02, 01, and 03 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) உருவம் (Uruvam) 03, 02, and 01, 2023, Ink and gouache on paper(Left to right) இளவரசி (Elavarasi) 1, 2, and 3, 2023, Acrylic on canvas.