Artist Vivan Sundaram, best known for pioneering installation art in India in the 90s, died at age 79 on Thursday.
Born in 1943 in Shimla, Vivan Sundaram came from a family of intellectuals. His father was a chairman of the Law Commission of India, while his mother was the sister of celebrated author Amrita Sher-Gill. Geeta Kapur, a noted art historian, was his wife. He attended the famed Doon School, whose alumni included the likes of author Vikram Seth, artist Anish Kapoor and former prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
After a brief stint in London, Sundaram returned to India in 1971. In the politically-charged decade of the country, Sundaram was active in student protests and theatres. In the following years, he tried his hands at various art mediums, including sculpting, printmaking, photography, and video art. Vivan Sundaram captured the national imagination in the 90s when he emerged as the foremost proponent of installation art. This was a time in India when formal abstraction – the dominant art form of the 70s and 80s in India – was losing public appeal, but installation art was yet to gain traction.
Considered a trailblazer in installation art, Sundaram was behind numerous successful exhibitions in the 90s. Perhaps the most famous was Memorial (1993), an installation made with photographs that paid homage to the Babri Masjid demolition a year prior and the ensuing violence. 12 Bed Ward (2005) consisted of 12 bed frames built with shoe soles instead of mattresses, referring to the marginalized section of society.
Vivan Sundaram also co-founded the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) in 1989, alongside many celebrated artists like Bhisham Sahni. The group was founded mere weeks after the murder of renowned playwright Safdar Hashmi.
