Born in 1977 in Alaveddy, a village in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, VP Vasuhan grew up surrounded by traditional Tamil culture, which left a lasting mark on his artistic journey. South India and northern Sri Lanka share deep cultural ties, including their folk arts, religion, and language. Vasuhan’s childhood was steeped in these traditions, nurtured by his grandfather, a farmer, and by exposure to art forms like religious painting, embroidery, pottery, and kolam—a traditional Tamil floor art made from rice flour.
These influences became the foundation for his artistic practice, as did early lessons in plant-based colorings during kindergarten. Vasuhan later attended Mahajana College in Thellippalai, where art was a significant part of his education under the guidance of S. Thiagarajah, his first art teacher. His work, such as Tha-Varam and Vill-Age, is infused with memories of his rural upbringing, blending them with contemporary themes.
One of Vasuhan’s installations, CATAMARAN – 404 Paper Boat, delves into themes of migration, exile, and the intersection of personal and collective memory. The catamaran—a raft made by tying together wood using cords crafted from coconut fibers—serves as the central metaphor of the work. In Tamil, catamaran derives from “cattu” (knot) and “maram” (wood), emphasizing its handmade nature and cultural origins.
Historically, such vessels were tools for navigation and survival for communities in southern India. Yet, they also represent displacement and forced journeys. Vasuhan draws a line between this traditional craft and the histories of laborers from South India and West Africa, who were transported to the Caribbean as part of the colonial enterprise. Their forced migrations gave rise to new identities, but the trauma of their exile lingers in collective memory.
The installation features 404 paper boats crafted from photocopied pages of books, including Lanka Rani. The number 404 echoes the familiar “404 page not found” error message in computer language—a digital representation of lost or hidden truths. By incorporating this concept, Vasuhan connects forgotten histories with the fragmented digital age, where erasure and disconnection are daily experiences.
The use of origami, a childhood craft, lends the installation a poignant nostalgia. Each folded boat is imbued with simplicity yet evokes the complexity of human journeys, reminding viewers of their own memories and connections to themes of travel, survival, and belonging. Vasuhan’s choice of medium—a humble A4 paper—transforms the ordinary into a symbol of resilience and remembrance.
Vasuhan’s work doesn’t stop at evoking the past. It actively engages viewers with questions about identity, displacement, and the ripple effects of historical trauma. CATAMARAN – 404 Paper Boat is more than an artistic statement; it is a vessel for collective memory. By presenting this installation in contexts such as the Caribbean—where histories of slavery and labor migration are deeply embedded—Vasuhan creates space for reflection and dialogue about the enduring impact of colonialism.
The symbolic act of folding paper boats reflects the shared human experience of storytelling and memory-making. These boats, though fragile, convey strength in their numbers and the stories they hold. They stand as a testament to resilience, much like the catamarans of Vasuhan’s Tamil heritage.
What makes Vasuhan’s approach unique is his ability to ground his art in deeply personal experiences while addressing universal themes. His work transcends geographic and cultural boundaries, bridging the specificity of his Tamil roots with global narratives of exile and identity. The inclusion of digital metaphors, such as the “404 page not found” slogan, ties these histories to contemporary life, reminding viewers that the past informs the present in often unseen ways.
In this way, CATAMARAN – 404 Paper Boat invites introspection not just about history but about our role in perpetuating or confronting the cycles of displacement and forgetting. Whether through the tactile act of folding paper or the haunting symbolism of 404 boats lost at sea, Vasuhan’s installation leaves a lasting impression.
VP Vasuhan will showcase CATAMARAN – 404 Paper Boat as part of Nous sommes une Famille, an exhibition running from November 27 to December 6, 2024, in Sainte-Anne. The exhibition is an opportunity to experience the depth of Vasuhan’s vision and his commitment to merging art, memory, and human connection.
Through installations like this, Vasuhan continues to explore the interplay of cultural memory, identity, and the shared stories that unite us all, even as they speak to histories of separation and exile. His work stands as a call to remember, reflect, and connect across time and place.
