BackNandini Valli Muthiah graduated with a B.A. in Photography in 2005 from the Arts Institute at Bournemouth, UK. Her first major suite, The Definitive Reincarnate, delves into the concept of incarnated divinity through the vessel of Vishnu. The photographs are highly stylized, with rich colors and tightly choreographed settings that draw from the kitsch calendar art representation of Hindu deities, evoking dramatic fashion magazine portraits of celebrities. According to the artist, the idea behind The Definitive Reincarnate was to "take Vishnu and sort of update him." In this series, Vishnu is depicted with a full spectrum of human emotions, captured in highly-charged exposures that possess a painterly quality.
Muthiah’s subsequent solo exhibition, Remembering to Forget, was an ode to childhood memories of Fancy Dress Competitions, where young children dressed as gods, goddesses, matinee idols, and political figures, reciting quotes, speeches, and slogans. The suite examines our collective psyche of idol worship and highlights the tragi-comic situation of these icons being forgotten amidst all the remembering. The children, standing before the audience in kitschy backdrops, wear looks of uncertainty and doubt as they perform.
In her later solo exhibition, The Visitor, Muthiah reimagined Vishnu in what became her most ambitious project to date, both conceptually and in scope. Unlike her earlier work, which was shot in controlled environments, this series involved elaborate outdoor shoots with a large crew, drawing comparisons to the cinematic productions of celebrated photographer Gregory Crewdson.
Another noteworthy suite of Muthiah’s photographs features portraits of women wearing silk saris, captured from behind. The result is a sensual rendering of Indian femininity, emphasizing the delicate brocade work on the sari, the silken texture of the material, and the curved drape of the fabric, revealing the nape and back of the women. The subjects exhibit a certain coyness, showing their backs in an exhibitionistic manner while withholding their full faces. As with much of her work, this suite highlights the importance of color in Muthiah’s oeuvre, using it to transcend realism and create a plane of idealized reality.
Over the years, Muthiah’s work has been featured in numerous important exhibitions, including FotoFest 2018 Biennial, Houston, USA; Chennai Photo Biennale, Chennai, India; City Dwellers: Contemporary Art from India, Seattle Museum of Art, USA; Cynical Love: Life in the Everyday, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India; Generation in Transition, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland; and Where Three Dreams Cross, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK. She was also nominated for the prestigious Grange Prize in 2011.
Muthiah lives and works in Chennai.
Muthiah’s subsequent solo exhibition, Remembering to Forget, was an ode to childhood memories of Fancy Dress Competitions, where young children dressed as gods, goddesses, matinee idols, and political figures, reciting quotes, speeches, and slogans. The suite examines our collective psyche of idol worship and highlights the tragi-comic situation of these icons being forgotten amidst all the remembering. The children, standing before the audience in kitschy backdrops, wear looks of uncertainty and doubt as they perform.
In her later solo exhibition, The Visitor, Muthiah reimagined Vishnu in what became her most ambitious project to date, both conceptually and in scope. Unlike her earlier work, which was shot in controlled environments, this series involved elaborate outdoor shoots with a large crew, drawing comparisons to the cinematic productions of celebrated photographer Gregory Crewdson.
Another noteworthy suite of Muthiah’s photographs features portraits of women wearing silk saris, captured from behind. The result is a sensual rendering of Indian femininity, emphasizing the delicate brocade work on the sari, the silken texture of the material, and the curved drape of the fabric, revealing the nape and back of the women. The subjects exhibit a certain coyness, showing their backs in an exhibitionistic manner while withholding their full faces. As with much of her work, this suite highlights the importance of color in Muthiah’s oeuvre, using it to transcend realism and create a plane of idealized reality.
Over the years, Muthiah’s work has been featured in numerous important exhibitions, including FotoFest 2018 Biennial, Houston, USA; Chennai Photo Biennale, Chennai, India; City Dwellers: Contemporary Art from India, Seattle Museum of Art, USA; Cynical Love: Life in the Everyday, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India; Generation in Transition, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland; and Where Three Dreams Cross, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK. She was also nominated for the prestigious Grange Prize in 2011.
Muthiah lives and works in Chennai.
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