At Mary Samual’s Unbound art exhibition in Thiruvananthapuram, the mortal and the magical mingle
Mary Samual's debut show Unbound opens at the Alliance Française de Trivandrum in Thiruvananthapuram, presenting twenty‑five acrylic and watercolor paintings that blur the line between the ordinary and the enchanted. Inspired by the magical‑realist graphic novel Chithrakathayil Avante Bhoothangal, the works translate the book’s surreal episodes into vivid visual narratives.
The exhibition, curated by filmmaker K.P. Sreekrishnan, grew out of an unexpected commission from the novel’s creator Jayakrishnan. A single illustration for a pivotal scene sparked a series of paintings, eventually expanding far beyond the original plan for a book‑launch event.
Across the walls, recurring motifs of shadows, blooming flowers and restless waters create a dialogue between the living and the metaphysical. Passages from the Malayalam text, alongside their English translations, are interwoven with the canvases, inviting viewers to linger between word and image.
Though Mary Samual works as a language professional in the tech sector, her three‑year artistic apprenticeship during the pandemic culminates in a confident, independent interpretation of the novel’s non‑linear storytelling. The result is a contemplative space where the mortal and the magical coexist.