Venmani Martyr’s Day, 2021 (Walking Towards the Memorial 2) by Nitheen Ramalingam

Through figurative paintings and drawings, Nitheen meditates on people and their surroundings, carrying an aggrieved energy shaped by concerns of alienation, oppression, and emancipation. His current body of work reflects on the commemoration of the Kilvenmani massacre of 1968, where 44 landless laborers were killed by landlords in Nagapattinam. Today, the event is remembered with collective strength and joy, marking the region’s transformed land and social relations. Having witnessed the commemoration in 2021, Nitheen uses oil and pastels to evoke both passion and hope, underscored by a sombre tone. His sculptural experiments with large-scale and site-specific works also inform these paintings, conceptually and formally. Influenced by the writings of James E. Young, Miwon Kwon, Nav Hak, and Ken Lum, Nitheen engages with ideas of anti-monumental art, public practice, and multicultural identity politics, grounding his reflections in both global discourse and particular historic memories. 

This artwork was exhibited at Method in the group exhibition "The Parliament is Now in Session" (August 2025).