Kochi Biennale's first nun-artist shares her impressions on the show

It's only been a few months since Sr Malu Roswin Joy completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) course from RLV College of Music and Fine Arts in Thripunithura, Kochi. Now, as the first nun-turned-artist of Kochi Muziris Biennale, the 35-year-old is showcasing her drawings and sculptures, titled Mother (I) and Mother (II), at the event. Sr Malu says that while she struggles to communicate with global artists and art connoisseurs who frequent the biennale, her works effortlessly speak to them. "Many visitors told me that it does not matter that I don't speak their language, and that my work is rich enough in expressions to convey my thoughts. I guess they understood my work in deeper meanings than I did," says the nun from CMC Novitiate Convent, Chowara, with a smile. 

The elderly nuns she cared for inspired Sr Malu's paintings and sculptures, she says. "While doing my BFA, I was staying in a hostel. There was also a convent nearby, where I used to take care of older nuns, who were unwell, had many kinds of body pains and were mostly praying. Our BFA faculty used to say that we should do live sketches, and the lives of these nuns inspired me to capture them in my art," Sr Malu says.  

When a convent became a canvas
Was she an artist from childhood? Sr Malu says 'no,' with a gentle smile. "My dad was an artist in his own right, and while growing up in my native place in Vallam near Kalady, I used to observe him. At times, I used to make random sketches, and he used to give his inputs as well," she remembers. 

Interestingly, it's the COVID years that brought out the artist in the nun. "While we too were locked down in the convent, I felt the urge to make drawings on my convent walls. When I shared this with my superior, she brought me some paint and brushes!" Sr Malu used them to create around 12 paintings on the walls of her convent. "Many, including convent visitors and elderly nuns of the congregation, were impressed by them and asked my superior to enrol me for further studies in art," says the nun on her artistic journey. 

Now, as a B Ed student, Sr Malu dreams of using her artistic gift to help students learn better. "I believe giving various school lessons a visual representation can help children understand their lessons well. This is what I want to once I finish B Ed," she says. 

Her favourites at the Biennale
Sr Malu, whose installation is at SMS Hall, names the Island Warehouse as one of her favourite venues of the Kochi Muziris Biennale. "I was inspired the most by the works of Khageswar Rout, an artist from Odisha, says Sr Malu. His work features the lives of brick kiln workers, whose contributions are often forgotten by the construction world. 

She also loves SMS Hall, where her work is also stationed. "The late artist Gieve Patel's works are near mine, and many visitors pointed out that my sketches and sculptures look like a continuation of his. This made me curious, so I checked them out. Now, I too feel a connection with his world," says Sr Malu, who also rates Aspinwall as one of her other favourite venues.