From Telangana to Kochi student biennale
In the quiet town of Kodad in Suryapet district, art was never a distant dream for Abhishek Kolapudi. It grew from lived memory — of riverside mornings, salt-stung winds, and the tireless rhythm of fishermen hauling in their nets together. Today, that lived reality has found a national platform, with Abhishek representing Telangana at the Students Biennale 2025–26, part of the prestigious Kochi Muziris Biennale.
Fresh out of his MFA from Suravaram Pratapa Reddy Telugu University in Hyderabad, Abhishek has emerged as a powerful young voice translating community life into monumental visual narratives. His selected installation — a striking 35-foot by 5-foot work — captures the collective ritual of fishermen battling tides and fatigue, ending their day in triumph as their net rises heavy with the day’s catch. The scale is imposing; the emotion, intimate.
For Abhishek, this is not observation but inheritance. Born into a fishing community in Telangana, he grew up watching his parents endure physical hardship so their children could access better education in city institutions. That quiet resilience now anchors his artistic language.
“Abhishek is very dedicated and passionate towards art. He has a good understanding of drawing,” says his mentor, Sajid Bin Amar, Assistant Professor in the Painting Department. “During his two years of master’s study under me, he came up with a bundle of questions every time. Our discussions would go on for hours.”
His journey has been shaped by strong curatorial guidance as well, with senior artists Ashok Vish and Chinar Shah mentoring and curating his work.
Recognition followed swiftly. Abhishek received the Ardee Legacy Award 2026 instituted by the Ardee Foundation in Gurugram.
The honour came from a distinguished jury featuring noted cultural voices including Prayag Shukla, Jayasri Burman, Ina Puri, Samit Das, Manisha Parekh and Reha Sodhi.
For Shefali Varma, Chairperson of the Foundation, the award is rooted in a larger philosophy. She strongly advocates intergenerational dialogue — where the artistic voices of the past and present share space and conversation.
That vision materialised when Abhishek’s work featured in the exhibition ‘Manjit Bawa: An Enduring Legacy’ at the India Art Fair 2026 in New Delhi. Curated by Ina Puri and presented by Reha Sodhi, his large 10-foot by 18-foot installation stood alongside original paintings by modern master Manjit Bawa from the Ardee Foundation collection. The piece echoed his continuing thematic concern — a fisherman straining to pull in a dense catch while birds and animals compete in their own parallel hunt — a vivid metaphor for labour, survival and shared ecosystems.
Now, Abhishek’s newest installation welcomes viewers at the Students Biennale exhibition at St Andrew’s Parish Hall in Fort Kochi, where it will remain on display until March 31, 2026.
From a small Telangana town to one of the country’s most significant contemporary art platforms, Abhishek Kolapudi’s journey is not just a personal milestone. It is a reminder that powerful art often rises from lived truth — from hands that have known labour, eyes that have witnessed struggle, and a heart that carries home wherever it goes.
