Style : Before he settled in Bangalore, Cheeroth lived in many cities, and used his experience as an “outsider” to inform his art. His works are vivid commentaries and observations of cultural structures and identities in society. Often stitching together a collage of jarring imagery, Cheeroth renders his work with neon saturations that bear resemblance more to new media and advertisement, than fine art. While fairly recognisable, the subjects in Cheeroth’s paintings are deformed, distorted, and multi-layered to create overlapping perspectives. “His paintings show influences of both his immediate environment and city life, they are focused on his interest in the physical and psychological aspects of everyday life and human emotions” (Dr. Verena Widorn, ‘Habitus’, Sumukha Art Gallery, Bangalore, 2010).
According to the artist, his working process is “a kind of extraction system, that draws on tiny concerns about urbanization, frenzied globalization and the visual/virtual stimulation therein, and folds and unfolds them into another reality to simplify their characteristics and relationships in order to build a new visual experience that is clear and vivid”.
About the Artist and his work :
Born : 1966 in Kerala.
Education :
1995 – M.F.A. In Painting, Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan, West Bengal.
1992 – B.F.A. In Painting, Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan, West Bengal.
Solo Shows : Held three solo shows in Ahmedabad, Panchagani and Kashi Art Café, Kochi Respectively.
Group Shows :
2006 – Real and New Delhi;
2005 – Second Coming – Quotable Stencil in Mumbai;
2005 – High Fly My Beloved Birds in New Delhi;
2005 – Recurrence in New Delh;
2005 – Elements New Delhi;’
1998 – Sofia International Biennale in Bulgaria;
1998 – National Exhibition in New Delhi.
International Shows : Emerging India, which was presented by Art Alive Gallery at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2007.
Awards :
1997-99 : Junior Fellowship, research in fiber art, awarded by Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, New Delhi;
1997-98 : Kerala State Lalit Kala Academy Award;
1997 : Kanoria Scholarship for Print Making;
1993-95 : Cultural Scholarship awarded by Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi;
1989-94 : Merit scholarship, Kalabhavan, Shanthiniketan;
1987-92 : Round Table 38 Calcutta;
1992 : Honorable Mention, West Bengal State Exhibition, Calcutta Information Centre.
