At Chennai’s Lalit Kala Akademi Dalit artists redefine the language of art and equality

Maitri, or universal friendliness, is at the core of the artworks displayed at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai. Titled Becoming: Weaving the Commons , the exhibition of paintings by Natarajan Gangadaran and S Venkatesan serves as a bridge connecting the specific, lived experiences of the marginalised to spaces that have largely neglected them. Curated by educator and curator Prema Revathi, the exhibition, which began on October 26 and ended on November 1, was presented by filmmaker Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre.

The paintings serve as a direct and powerful retort to the art world, which, like the entertainment industry, often prioritises shallow spectacles and fleeting trends over meaningful social commentary, particularly on the pervasive issues of caste, gender, and social ine