Vivek Vilasini
Housing Dreams Walls
In his work Housing Dreams Walls, the houses photographed are from a closely-knit locale in Kerala—a significant and rapidly popular pattern in this part of the country. The pattern of richly colored and aggressively decorated residences symbolizes prosperity and exudes a sense of security—both financial and social. Although the vocabulary of aesthetics can be termed kitsch, the idea is to understand the underlying expression in the ostentatiously and vibrantly decorated households and giving them some sense of individuality, reflecting their owners’ personalities. The colorful walls symbolize wealth, while also reflecting the manner in which the owners would like others to perceive them. On a less visible level, the paint used also happens to be toxic, so it pollutes the ground when rain showers wash the colorful houses.
Born 1964 in Trishur, Kerala, India
Lives and works in Bangalore, India
First trained as a Marine radio officer at the All India Marine College in Kochi, Vivek Vilasini obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Kerala University in 1987 before turning to art and studying traditional Indian craftspeople's sculpture. In his work Vilasini examines our existing social structures, adapting various expressions of cultural identity prevalent in society today to raise questions about the continually changing global scenario that every individual struggles to keep pace with. In the photo collage Between One Shore and Several Others (Just what is it… after Richard Hamilton) from 2008, Vilasini referred to Richard Hamilton’s iconic pop collage Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1965) by crossing the cultures of the East and the West. Vilasini’s large-format photographs evoke delicate ironies that address existing ideologies, and influence the cultural and social consciousness of the viewer.