Sujith SN's 'The Hour of Becoming' at Sakshi Gallery Explores Human-Nature Tensions

Sujith SN's exhibition 'The Hour of Becoming' ran from April 10 to May 3, 2025 at Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai. The Kochi-based artist presented paintings that create luminous illusions through color, balancing darkness with light and nature with built structures. Architectural forms emerge against dense foliage and water, suggesting human encroachment on India's natural landscapes. In 'Archipelago' (2024), a modernist building's gentle illumination symbolizes human intervention, with a lone figure by a pool echoing the structure's isolation. Two paintings titled 'Plogue' (both 2024–25) depict men wrestling in barren terrain, their conflict appearing futile against the empty backdrop. Another work, 'Oblivion' (2024), features an elephant against a crimson sky with architectural debris beneath its feet, creating a haunting symbol of ecological guilt. 'Botanical Garden of the Desert' (2024) juxtaposes verdant landscape with geometric structures and includes a limp Indian flag, suggesting abandonment. Throughout the exhibition, SN's use of light—both soothing and ominous—guides viewers to question notions of progress and environmental loss. The artist's architectural background informs these tensions between human order and natural world. Rabia Kapoor, a Mumbai-based writer and critic, authored the review.