Shaji Appukuttan (b. 1969, Guruvayur, Kerala) is a contemporary artist whose practice explores the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. He studied at Government Fine Arts College, Thrissur, Kerala, and lives and works in Ernakulam. His paintings draw extensively from forests, trees, rivers and landscapes, using nature as a space to reflect on existence, ecology, memory and the changing relationship between humans and the environment. Shaji Appukuttan’s practice is rooted in a deep engagement with the diversity of India’s landscapes and the infinite dynamics of nature. He sees no distinction between painting a human being and a tree; both emerge from the same elemental world and possess their own vitality. Through forests, trees, rivers, mountains and skies, he explores the interconnectedness of humans and nature, transforming these elements into a visual language of light, space and movement.
Appukuttan has held several solo exhibitions, including Ghost Trees at Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, Payyanur (2023), Symphony of Land at Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, Kozhikode (2017), and Karuna at White Wall Art Gallery, Ernakulam (2016). His work has been exhibited widely across India, including Inscapes at Latitude Art Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi (2023), Panoramic Parables at Gallery 1000A, New Delhi (2023), Art from Home with Kerala Lalithakala Akademi (2022), Leaving Silence Behind at Chola Art Gallery, Chalakkudy (2021), The World is Our Home in Alappuzha (2021), Monsoon Art Fest at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Ernakulam (2020), Art Humane at Triv Art Gallery, Ernakulam (2018), and Cochin Art Fair at MNF Foundation, Edappally (2017). He has also participated in national exhibitions, art camps and residencies across India.
His awards include the Art Centrix Painting Grant (2024), Jackson Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, New York (2020), and State Awards from the Siddhartha Foundation (2018) and Kerala Lalithakala Akademi (1992).
