Ancestral histories/ stories #1

This artwork titled Ancestral Histories/ stories #1 is by Saju Kunhan (b. 1983) 

It is one of seven works from the Home Ground series, each of which imagines a historical event connected to the artist’s ancestors. Saju Kunhan has incorporated characters into stories he has heard when he was a  child by using pictures and characters from various museum collections.

In this work, Saju illustrates his ancestral terrain that was part of the final battalion under Haider Ali of Mysore that fought against the British East India Company in the mid-18th century. Kunhan explains that everything exists in stories and that there is no definite proof of the relationship between Tipu Sultan and his family. He argues that unlike people from different roots, who have the ability to leave their mark on things, in his average labour class, there is no time and means to create any tangible historical records. He asserts that it’s here where stories persist.

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