A blistered flatbread with a figure painted across it — a person in a striped shawl and beaded collar, lying curled on the browned surface.

Tension of Belongings

Three artists from Andhra Pradesh explore what it means to belong—to pottery as inheritance, to the endangered Banjara community, to the farmer's cycle that carries dreams.

Published 31 December 2025

This has finished

On view
12 December 2025 – 31 March 2026
Times
10AM to 6PM (Mon to Sunday) Till March 31st, 2026
Part of
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26

Where

BMS Warehouse

Event venue · Bazaar Road, Mattancherry

Identity is constantly negotiated and redefined. For three artists from Andhra Pradesh, belonging means tracing the threads of pottery, painting, and the endangered traditions of the Banjara community.

Artists

Ponduru Yogeswar Rao (Dr YSR Architecture and Fine Arts University, Andhra Pradesh), Vaditha Hari Naik (Dr YSR Architecture and Fine Arts University, Andhra Pradesh), Gorle Lokesh Kumar (Department of Fine Arts, Andhra University)

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Medium

Ceramic; Acrylic and shells on glass, Mirror, shells, m seal, and Acrylic on Roti; Water colour on paper

About

Tension of Belongings brings together three distinct voices exploring what it means to belong—to a craft, a community, a way of life that the modern world threatens to erase.

For Ponduru Yogeswar Rao, pottery is not just a craft but an identity—his inheritance and inner voice. Through ceramic works, he opens a discourse on tradition and culture while expressing the journeys and challenges he has experienced.

Vaditha Hari Naik, a member of the Banjara community from the Rayalaseema region, highlights the purpose and innocent ways of life of indigenous and migrant families. Within contemporary culture's framework, Banjara traditions are gradually receding under the pressure of modern societal ideas. Her work captures the beauty of Banjara art, culture, ornaments, and the experiences that produced them.

In Gorle Lokesh Kumar's watercolour series, the cycle becomes more than a vehicle—it is a companion in the farmer's daily journey, carrying harvests, dreams, and struggles. It represents not only a physical object but also the invisible bond it shares with its owner.

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