PRESS RELEASE
Binoy Varghese: Refugees / Their Own Lands
15th October –10th November 2009
Reception: Wednesday 14 October, 6pm –8pm
Kerala born, Indian artist Binoy Varghese will present a solo exhibition of recent works at Aicon
New York this October.
Varghese's colorful and picturesque canvases, mostly in large format are informed by the politics
of his native Kerala. Migration and displacement, the clash between rural and urban cultures,
violence, and gender discrimination in society are some of the underlying concerns that engage
his attention.
Varghese picks his imagery from the tacit world of myriad experiences, while his portraiture
with green foliage or blooming flowers revolves around photo-realistic renditions that stand out
for his choice of colors, material and matter. His protagonists - Asian women and children -
appear in their newfound worlds against a background of a made-up environment of thick flora
and fauna that engulfs and overpowers them.
As Varghese states: "My paintings are about issues close to my heart. In this new series of
works, I painted the children glowing in their dark and brown skin – the social maker of their
existence. I postulate the body as information, where the physical appearance of a person
becomes the embodiment of information regarding identity"
Editors' Note:
Binoy Varghese was born in Kerala, India in 1966. He received a Diploma in Fine Arts from
RLV College of Music and Fine Art at Tripoonithura, Kerala. Varghese received a fellowship
from the Madhavan Nair Foundation in 1993 and was awarded a scholarship from the Arnawaz-
Vasudev Charitable trust from 1994 to 1996. Binoy's works are in several collections in India
and abroad, including the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, India. The artist lives and
works in New Delhi. He was the artist-in-residence at Aicon gallery, New York in 2007.
For further press information and visuals, please contact Rachel Phillipps at Pickles PR
Tel: +44 (0)783 490 4571/ e-mail: rachel@picklespr.com
Aicon New York is open 10am – 6.30pm Tuesday – Saturday
Tel: +1 212 725 6092 / email: newyork@aicongallery.com