Scientist in ISRO – Check. Artist – Check. Well we are talking of one person who is both a scientist and an artist. Meet Thayada Shamsudheen. A self-taught artist, his works have been bought by private collectors in the USA, China, Bangalore, Chennai, Ernakulam and Kolkata. “I grew up in Wayanad, Kerala. Born to a simple, mixed religious, mixed-lingual parents (my father is from Kerala and mother from Andhra Pradesh), I was fascinated with the diverse folklore and histories of cultures and places. I was a science geek who even used to have an exclusive lab at home, for all the geeky stuff I used to work on. I graduated with a B-Tech from College of Engineering Munnar, Kerala and for the last 11 years, I am living and working in Bengaluru.” A scientist in ISRO, he recollects that he was sixteen when he first saw an oil painting portrait done by a friend attending an Art School. “It was deeply moving in a way which was impossible to explain and I determined to explore it. I went and bought a set of oil colors and literally inspected the box to figure out how to use it and the materials I might need. I shut myself in my room for two days and made my first figure in oils. Sixteen years have passes and I still find that figure interesting.”

He continued painting various subjects, exploring technical aspects and materials.  He also became an avid reader of art history and replicated a few large scale old masters to gain insights into their process. “My experiences being part of a unique space research organisation was shaping me as an individual as well. There, you get to become a person of action, to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and to learn from great minds, it is an exciting place to work. For an artistic soul, the development as an individual weighs much more than the arsenal of technical knowledge one acquires from an academic training.” In spite of his job he paints every day for a few hours, early in the morning and admits beginning the day like this with a creative mind is especially useful for a line of work like his.

Commenting on the ability to appreciate art he says that the key to experiencing art is to be attentive, to be open to new experiences, to be curious and ask questions. “These are universal aspects of human nature. India has arguably one of the richest treasures of cultural traditions, celebrating many unique art forms. The only difference is that often contemporary art has its roots outside the Indian context. I have always noticed that, when it comes to contemporary art, a little bit of introduction takes an uninitiated viewer a long way.” His inspiration comes from experiences that made a vivid interaction between what he sees with concepts and memories in my mind. “The window from Sabarmati ashram is inspired from the tranquil peace I have experienced during multiple visits to the Ashram. That tranquility has transformed the nature of even the flighty little animals like squirrels over generations.” His exhibition Objects of Shared Experience is inspired from experiences that made a vivid cross pollination between what is perceived and concepts and memories of self. “Even when the works are not attempting to approximate the real world, they trigger deep emotional links to shared experiences in the viewer.  It is an attempt to push the boundaries of human experience, into unexplored realms. A common thread of distinctive brushwork and intuitive colors runs through the works in this collection, scintillating invisible qualities of objects and experiences.” Looking ahead, he says he is very inquisitive about exploring scale, new materials and other art forms.

• What: Objects of Shared Experience
• When: The collection will be on display till 21 August 2019 (Monday – Saturday from 11 am – 8 pm)
• Where: Sublime Galleria, UB City. Phone: 080 41116563

This story first appeared in  Deccan Chronicle Bengaluru dated 26 June 2019 here: