Gods of Earth

Earth Gods | Velar Sculpture focuses on the life and ceramic practices of the Velar – the artisans from southern India who create votive terracotta sculptures of the god Ayyanar and other deities from South India and Sri Lanka. This research, residency and exhibition project began following a visit by sculptor João Rolaça to Tamil Nadu to observe, on site, the construction of the monumental terracotta sculptures by the Velar. The study led to the desire to foster an exchange between the Velar masters and the Portuguese artistic and public context.

The sculptures presented in the exhibition were created by three Velar from the villages of Thuvaradimanai and Malayiur – Palanisamy, Meyyar, and Karthik – during an artistic residency at Oficinas do Convento in Montemor-o-Novo. These were joined by terracottas from the collection of Museu do Oriente, which also bear witness to the devotion to Ayyanar, and works by sculptor Liliana Velho, developed in close collaboration with the Indian artisans, in a contemporary artistic language shaped by Indian sculptural tradition.

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