The Moon Under the Sea: Sivasubramaniam Kajendran

The vast expanse of the Indian Ocean is not just a source of livelihood for the coastal inhabitants of Sri Lanka; it is inextricably linked to the very fabric of their existence, dictating the culture, spirituality, and daily pace of life. The vast expanse serves as both provider and silent witness to the resilience and vitality of these coastal communities.  In ‘The Moon Under the Sea’ Sivasubramaniam Kajendran examines the intricate and tenuous relationship between coastal communities of the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka and the seas that sustain them, exploring how the rhythms of the tides are woven into their collective consciousness. With its shifting tides and deep waters brimming with tropical abundance, the Indian Ocean exists as a living archive—preserving the memories and hardships of generations that have built community on coastal lands. The push and pull of the tides, ever-present and ever-changing, embodies the ebb and flow of collective experience—of loss and renewal, of tradition and transformation, of grief and hope. Through Kajendran’s observant and empathetic lens, the ocean emerges not only as a life force but as the custodian of the stories that bind coastal people to their land and history.

Through his idiosyncratic visual language, Kajendran captures the lived experience of coastal communities, rendering visceral portrayals of the daily coming and goings of its inhabitants fused with mythical and natural iconography. The solemn figures depicted are bathed in rich tones of black and blue, evoking not only the maritime landscape they inhabit but conveying an intangible weight borne by those who dwell near the unpredictable potential of the ocean. His compositions are imbued with fluidity and rhythm as vast swathes of blue fabric envelop the figures mimicking the formidable flows of the tides. The artist's expressive brushstrokes emphasise the tactile fabric quality as the drapes seem to almost expand beyond the confines of the canvas. Tropical birds, fishes and fruits appear on the canvas perched atop the figures that are contorted and bent in an unnatural manner, often mimicking the movements of the creatures that inhabit the topical waters.

In some of Kajendran’s compositions, the human form itself appears almost to mutate, taking on animalistic features. These humanoid creatures emerge as an extension of the land and seas as Kajendran blurs the lines between the natural realm and its human inhabitants. In a series of three paintings, piscine creatures fixate on the viewer with a haunting gaze emanating from a singular eye, imbuing the work with a palpable sense of sorrow and longing. The artist envisions these beings as embodiments of his late mother, who perished in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, her body never recovered. Kajendran imagines her enduring within the vastness of the ocean taking on its innate qualities. This notion manifests on the canvas as he attempts to hold onto the vestiges of her being.

The artist injects symbols of Tamil culture into his compositions, using wood cut stamps to create impressions on the surface of the canvas. Each symbol pays homage to Kajendran’s upbringing and his pride in his culture. The impressions evoke a distinctly feminine and domestic quality, reminiscent of the intricate patterns found on the saris worn by women in his community. Through these impressions, Kajendran subtly nods to the strength and resilience of these women, while also acknowledging the profound pain they have endured.

Kajendran depicts a woman grasping a cockerel staff in one hand with a lit lamp in the other— a tribute to the men lost in the ravages of civil conflict. In this work, Kajendran does not shy away from the sorrow that permeates the history of his people, instead channeling it into a quiet yet powerful visual language that honors both memory and survival.

The figure of the mother becomes a recurring motif, the embodiment of divine femininity. The artist associates the mother figure with the nurturing waters of the ocean, a powerful yet maternal force. Kajendran notes the duality inherent in the sea itself: while a provider of life and sustenance akin to a mother, the ocean also has the capacity for destruction. This insurmountable force is a danger that is all too familiar to the coastal communities of Sri Lanka in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. This peril becomes a constant preoccupation to those who call this unpredictable stretch of coast home. Kajendran depicts the tidal wave of a tsunami surging up like a geyser as a figure is contorted in an uneasy balance that can be toppled at any time. The tides manifest as a sacred presence to be revered, respected and feared.

The artist acknowledges that the contours of the land are shaped not only by the force of the tides but by the echoes of the past.  Kajendran evokes the colonial histories of coastal communities in his collages, eluding the profound way in which these communities have been shaped by colonial violence. Sombre figures are suspended under the steeple of a church, heads bowed down in either reverence or submission as the artist mediates the forced conversion of these communities to christianity. The artist uses the medium of collage to speak to a layered and fragmented history of these regions that has often been shaped by eurocentric narratives of the region’s colonial past. The recent past of the island has also been tied to the ocean as it bore witness to the end of the 30 year civil conflict at Nandikadal Lagoon and continues to bear witness to the limited freedoms experienced by coastal communities of the North and East under a militarised rule. In ‘artwork’ Kajendran depicts figures falling in line in resignation or marching through the waters in protest, embodying defiance and submission in the face of continued oppression. Kajendran mediates the tension between addressing collective trauma and navigating present-day resistance, the struggle for autonomy in a land still marked by scars of conflict.

In the performance piece 'Homeless,' Kajendran revisits the events that have shaped the history of the coastal communities in his hometown. Through its fluid and transient form, the performance becomes a powerful expression of loss—of identity, land, and the deep wounds left on the region.

In this powerful and personal body of work, Kajendran reveals to the viewer the profound ties between the coastal communities of Sri Lanka and the Indian ocean—a bond forged over centuries of interaction and exchange. The tides, both tender and violent, not only shape the contours of the land but permeate the spirit of those who live in its embrace. As the waves crash and recede onto the land, so too does the pulse of life, eternally in flux, forever enduring.