Through their eyes

Being watched creates a continuous negotiation between what we are, who we want to be, and how we are seen. Vikas Kumar invites us to cultivate an active gaze of our own.

Artist

Vikas Kumar (JLN Govt. College of Art, Shimla)

Medium

Performance Prints and Video

Venue

Vallabhdas Kanji Limited (VKL) Warehouse, Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Kerala

Timings

10AM to 6PM (Mon to Sunday)

Till March 31st, 2026

About

Through their eyes is a performance presented through video, accordion book, and graphic prints. Through imagery and performative gestures, Vikas examines how the gaze influences behaviour and self-perception.

The action of embodying the eye to return the gaze becomes a recurring motif. It confronts viewers while revealing the artist's own vulnerabilities—exposing patterns of observation, judgement, and self-perception.

Living in Shimla, the former summer capital of British India, has made Vikas critical of the colonial gaze and its residues on local people and landscape. This work asks: what happens when we look back?

Kochi Biennale 2025