A Closer Look : Antarang presents ‘A Closer Look’. Akkitham Narayanan and Thota Vaikuntam
Antarang presents ‘A Closer Look’, a series exploring the work, ideas, and enduring legacy of some of the defining figures of Indian modern and contemporary art. Through a selection of works, we invite you to engage more closely with the artists who have shaped the visual and cultural landscape of the subcontinent.
As South Asian art continues to gain global recognition, engagement with artists and their work becomes increasingly important. Founded in 2025 by Sania G. Vohra, Antarang fosters curiosity, connoisseurship, and meaningful encounters with art.
Derived from Sanskrit, Antarang signifies that which is inner, intimate, and inward. It reflects our belief that art reveals itself gradually, rewarding curiosity, reflection, and sustained attention.
Antarang is more than a conventional gallery; it is a community built through focused exhibitions, educational initiatives, and open dialogues. By bringing together artists, experts, collectors, and enthusiasts, we encourage a shared understanding of art. We specialise in investment-grade modern and contemporary art of lasting artistic, cultural, and historical significance. Through this focused curation, we invite our audience to return, look closely, and discover new depth with every encounter.
Antarang presents 'A Closer Look', a series that brings celebrated voices of Indian modern and contemporary art into dialogue within the intimate setting of the Clubhouse.
The inaugural display brings together the works of two distinguished artists from South India: Akkitham Narayanan and Thota Vaikuntam. Though rooted in vastly different visual traditions, both artists are equally shaped by strong cultural memory, regional identity, and lived experience.
Born in Kerala and later based in Paris, Narayanan developed a unique visual language that merges Indian tantric abstraction with European geometric sensibilities. His compositions are meditative fields of rhythm and structure, where circles, triangles, and grids become symbolic references to nature, ritual, and elemental energies. Through restrained geometry and carefully orchestrated colour, his works evoke both spiritual stillness and formal precision.
In contrast, Vaikuntam's paintings emerge from the vibrant rural culture of Telangana. Known for his iconic depictions of village men and women, his works are expressive, figurative, and emotionally charged. Using rich primary colours, bold contours, and flattened forms, he captures the sensuality, strength, and theatrical presence of everyday rural life.
Together, Akkitham Narayanan and Thota Vaikuntam present two profoundly different approaches to image-making: one abstract and contemplative, the other figurative and visceral. Yet both remain deeply connected through an enduring engagement with Indian tradition, place, and identity. Each, in their own way, has played a pivotal role in expanding and reinterpreting the language of Indian modern & contemporary art.
