Prabhavathi Meppayil Biography

Meppayil's work was featured in the 55^th International Art Exhibition, The Encyclopedic Palace, at the Venice Biennale in 2013.

Early Years

Meppayil was born in Bangalore, India. Growing up in a family of goldsmiths and jewellers, Meppayil became interested in artisan skills and crafts from a young age. Observing the tradition of handcrafted jewellery and the process of art-making encouraged Meppayil to pursue an education in the arts.

In 1986, she graduated from Bangalore University with a Bachelor of Arts. Following her BA, Meppayil studied a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Ken School of Art in Bengaluru. She established her artist studio on Avenue Road in Bangalore, an area known for its goldsmith community.

Prabhavathi Meppayil Artworks

Prabhavathi Meppayil's artistic practice is rooted in artisanal methods and traditional materials. She creates work from layers of gesso embedded with thin metal wires on wooden panels. She also creates richly textured paintings by using a thinnam, a traditional tool used by Indian goldsmiths to stamp delicate patterns onto ancient jewellery.

Meppayil's labour-intensive process, involving the use of precious metals like gold and silver and traditional goldsmith tools and techniques, results in works that bear witness to family histories and artistic traditions.

For 'Untitled Series' (2009—2013), Meppayil layered gesso on wooden boards using a traditional gesso process. She typically built up to 15 layers of gesso per work, with each individual layer taking up to four hours to dry. After she finished layering the gesso, Meppayil used a needle and ruler to draw lines across the work. Each painting is heavily textured and monochromatic, adopting a reduced colour palette made from different tones of white.

The slow process of creating her 'Untitled Series' conveys the time- and labour-intensive nature of her practice. Meppayil is deeply aware of her cultural history and her family ties to the art of goldsmithing. Through subtle geometric patterns and shapes, Meppayil evokes an abstract form of artisanal tradition and craft.

SB/Eighteen (2018) is an installation made from gesso and 875 found iron, copper, and brass tools. Meppayil created the artwork by assembling each tool onto a white wall, mapping out a grid-like pattern. The found objects are out-dated tools that were used by goldsmiths to make valuable ornaments and jewellery.

Meppayil's installation transforms the traditional yet obsolete tools into art objects. Although the tools are no longer being used for their original intention, Meppayil's presentation of each article hints at fragments of their individual history. SB/Eighteen recalls Meppayil's interest in materiality and the development of traditional artisan legacies.

Awards and Accolades

Meppayil's three-panel work Untitled — CU 3 (2011) was installed in the Arsenale as part of The Encyclopedic Palace at the 55^th Venice Biennale in 2013. The exhibition broadened Meppayil's international audience and eventually led to her participation in a number of solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe.

Exhibitions

Prabhavathi Meppayil has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions. Solo exhibitions include Prabhavathi Meppayil: Recent Works, Pace, London (2019); Prabhavathi Meppayil: nine seventeen, American Academy in Rome and Pace, London (2014); Prabhavathi Meppayil, Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi (2010); Prabhavathi Meppayil, Forum Schlossplatz, Aarau (2001).

Group exhibitions include The Lines Fall Where They May, STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery, Singapore (2021); Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (2012); Chalo! India: A New Era of Indian Art, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul; and Essl Museum, Vienna (2008—2009); Soft Spoken, Bombay Art Gallery, Mumbai (2007).

Website

Meppayil's website can be found here.

Phoebe Bradford | Ocula | 2022