Between the Sheets

“The book brings together the works that were exhibited at the travelling show and puts them down for posterity to enjoy,” he says. Menon,in his text,lays down the unique mix of past and present in these works: “The sheer sensuousness of the manner in which it is rendered,with sinuous wrist movements over a thick later of paint using rolled up socks or other bunched textile,lends these canvases a feisty,carnival-esque feel,unseen in the early Vasudevs.”

64-year-old Arakkal’s book is more of a journey through his oeuvre. Published by Galerie Sara Arakkal,also in Bangalore,the monograph contains text by three writers — P Surendran,a short story writer and columnist,P Sudhakaran,an art critic,and Giridhar Khanis,a freelance writer-photographer. While Surendran traces the early days of Arakkal’s art,Sudhakaran gathers critical acclaim for his work by quoting several art critics and historians who have spoken or written about Arakkal’s work. Khanis evaluates Arakkal’s Book of References,a project that the artist began in 2001 and continued in 2005. Arakkal pays homage to the artists who inspired him in his book,that is partly text and partly drawings.