Born in 1956 in Allapuzha, Kerala, KM Madhusudhanan trained in painting from the Fine Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and in print making at the faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of Baroda, Gujarat. He works across media, incorporating art and cinema in a practice that is concerned among other things, with Indian film history, colonial history and contemporary geopolitics. He draws heavily from Marxist theory and Buddhist thought. Madhusudhanan’s installation of 90 charcoal drawings titled The Logic of Disappearance - A Marx Archive has been shown at the Kochi Muziris Biennale: 'Whorled Explorations' 2014-15, curated by Jitish Kallat, and in a solo exhibition at Baltic 39, Newcastle, as part of the AV Festival 2016. The series Penal Colony has been shown at the Venice Biennale: 'All the World's Futures', 2015, Curated by Okwui Enwezor. The Book The Registry of Things Past: Neither are you aware, nor the police (The Guild) on his photographic series was released in 2018, with an introduction by Nancy Adajania.

He is also a filmmaker, having made films in English and Indian regional languages. His film titles include, Self Portrait (Short Fiction, Hindi 2001), and History is a Silent Film (Short Fiction, Silent, 2006), both of which were feted as Outstanding Films from International Festivals by the MoMA. His 2008 film Bioscope was screen at various festivals and won multiple awards, notably, at the Kerala State Film Awards; Mannheim-Heidelberg International Festival, Germany; SAIFF, New York; OSIAN Cinefan International Film Festival; and the National Award (Special Jury Award).

WORK

Parade
by KM Madhusudhanan
Fiberglass, iron and rubber
55.5" x 37" x 12"
2016

ESSAYS

Granite, Lamp and Mirror: Reviewing the Colonial Body

by Najrin Islam

In the ongoing exhibition titled Granite, Lamp and Mirror at the Vadehra Art Gallery, artist K.M. Madhusudhanan navigates the colonial body and its various manifestations in the cultural sphere, in the realms of cinema and caste politics respectively. Using citation and memory, he puts together

KM Madhusudhanan

Granite, Lamp and Mirror: Reviewing the Colonial Body

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