Srikanth Sivaraj’s debut solo exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi explores art, travel and memory

Artist Srikanth Sivaraj’s ongoing debut solo exhibition unfolds as a deeply personal travelogue, shaped by journeys across countries and cultures. Titled My Lines and My Witness: A Journey through Light, Lands and Life, at Lalit Kala Akademi, it brings together hundreds of his works that traverse portraits, landscapes and fleeting lived moments. Rendered in graphite, colour pencils, pastels, and inks, the pieces reflect not just places seen but also experiences lived.

For Srikanth, growing up in the small town of Thanjavur meant navigating a practical outlook towards art — his father, though supportive, did not see it as a viable career. “Even though he encouraged me, he felt there was no real future in it,” he recalls. Still, there were quite a few gestures of support; his father would occasionally bring back art supplies from his travels.  Equally formative were the books he encountered on masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, JMW Turner and Peter Paul Rubens, which played a crucial role in shaping his visual language during his early years.