Suresh Muthukulam

Born in 1971, Suresh Muthukulam grew up in the small village of Muthukulam in the verdant backwaters of Kerala. His first formal education was in the gurukulam system after which he completed a four-year Fine Arts course. Later he had the unique privilege of training under the legendary Sree Mammiyoor Krishnakutty Nair at Guruvayoor for a five-year course in the Kerala mural style.

Over the last two decades, Suresh has broken the barriers of his deep-rooted training and has carved for himself an unmistakable niche where the traditional merges effortlessly with a contemporary style. He sometimes mingles myth with everyday images of rural Kerala replete with charming portrayals of native life in mythical contexts.

Suresh Muthukulam‘s eye never fails to observe whimsical details which he then translates, in his trademark style, onto canvas or paper or even into sculpture, borrowing elements from his early training. In his current series, ‘Muthukulam: Backwater Narratives’, Suresh captures, in an aesthetic that he nurtures, the spirit of life in Muthukulam before, during and after the recent devastating floods.