Alumni featured in Best of British exhibition in New Delhi
10 September 2024
Falmouth alumni Ramalingam Muthukrishnan has been featured in a Best of British exhibition in New Delhi.
Ramalingam, who was born with a hearing impairment and is losing his sight, undertook some research in painting and printmaking in 1995. He now paints the female form using a combination of bold and dark colours and has gone on to achieve artistic acclaim all over the world.
The exhibition is part of a series of events that celebrates the best of UK art and design and provides a unique opportunity for artists who studied in the UK to showcase their work to international audiences. The exhibition is on display between 23 August and 30 September 2024 in the gallery at the British Council, New Delhi.
We caught up with Ramalingam about his career and time at Falmouth.
You’ve been an artist for 44 years – what do you love most about it?
I have a deep feeling that art is born within me and also emerges from the restlessness caused by my experiences as a differently abled person who cannot hear and is losing vision over time. Over the past four decades, I have used a figurative idiom rooted in my world to express my deepest feelings through painting. My artworks help me to express the things and ideas I cannot say or convey easily.
When did you know you wanted to become an artist?
I dreamed of becoming an artist since I was ten years old.
Your art has taken you around the world, including the USA, Brazil, Spain, and the UK. Where do you feel most at home, and do you draw inspiration from where you paint?
My works are based on the surroundings and the people around me, exploring the possibilities of making ordinary people into intense protagonists. In my works, human beings mingle freely to create a world of fantasy, reflecting my unique perception. So, I feel at home in all the places you have mentioned; art has no boundaries, and so there is no one place I call home.
You were at Falmouth University to do research in 1995. What do you remember about your time there?
I studied short-term research in Printmaking and Painting at Falmouth College of Fine Arts in 1995, funded by CWIT, India. The Printmaking department had a very good ambience, ample space, and access to equipment, and I created many printmaking artworks. Mr Patrick McComb, Vice Principal, and Mr Peter, Administrative Officer, both helped me and guided me to the accommodation, as well as helping me to explore Falmouth.
What have you got coming up for the rest of this year and beyond?
My artwork will be auctioned by AstaGuru Auction House with Giftex, Mumbai, from October this year. My solo shows will be at Taj Art Gallery in Mumbai and Alliance Française de Madras in Chennai in 2025, and I have also applied to a few artist residency programmes for 2025 and await the results.
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