The Assumption of the Virgin Mary -Installation

In the extension of themes beyond Hinduism, Kalamkari artists freely merged iconography and imagery that were a part of their repertory with those from other Faiths. This biblical depiction was a part of similar versions, which included The Life of Christ and The Crucifxion, where, with the Virgin Mary at the centre, the conventional style of horizontal registers for storytelling widely prevalent in painted Indian scrolls narrates the life of Jesus Christ.

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary fuses Christianity with the Kalamkari technique here. There is a departure from the traditional Hindu mythology and the stories that informed the technique. The assumption of the Virgin Mary is not part of the Bible but a legend widely believed by Christians that as Mother of God, she did not have a human death or burial but ascended to heaven accompanied by the angels. The grid based story telling begins with Lord Ganesha on the far left as is customary among the painters to start with him for the smooth completion of the painting. And thus sits a Ganesha presiding over a Christian theme.