An exhibition centred around exquisite oleographs by Raja Ravi Varma, one of India’s most revered artists, continues at the Queensland Art Gallery with a new selection of the uniquely embroidered works specially printed to resemble oil paintings of Hindu stories and deities.

An entirely new selection of works is now on display in ‘The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture’, which explores the omnipresence of faith in the mundane and extraordinary alike. Drawing its title from Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize-winning novel, the exhibition delves into the intersection between devotional imagery and popular culture.

Considered India's first great modern artist, Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) introduced the chromolithographic press to India in the mid-19th century allowing the reproduction of his oil paintings as prints, thus taking art from the exclusive confines of the court and sharing it with the masses.

Through this process Ravi Varma’s widely seen images influenced popular culture and household aesthetics, in turn defining how many people visualise Hindu deities today.

The Queensland Art Gallery l Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) acquired the collection of 48 uniquely embroidered Raja Ravi Varma oleographs through the Henry and Amanda Bartlett Trust in 2024.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM said: ‘Even though the works were acquired as a single collection, each comes to the Gallery with its own private history, often serving as a devotional piece in an Indian home. Restoring and preserving them required a complex conservation process.

‘Printed and subsequently embellished over a century ago, the intricate works required significant care to stabilise their ink, paper, textiles, and even glitter and sequins, for future generations to enjoy,’ Mr Saines said.

To achieve this specialised treatment, QAGOMA embarked on a world-leading conservation and research exchange with colleagues in India to document and conserve the oleographs.

This cultural exchange has seen QAGOMA host conservators from the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru and send its specialist conservators Ms Kim Bartlett and Dr Michael Marendy to India.

‘We are grateful to have received a significant Maitri Grant through the Australian Government, administered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations, to support this research, conservation and digital storytelling project,’ Mr Saines said.

‘It has allowed the exchange of specialist knowledge and conservation techniques with our colleagues in Bengaluru and enabled further study of works by Raja Ravi Varma held across India.’

QAGOMA Curatorial Manager, Asian and Pacific Art, Tarun Nagesh said: ‘The collection of Raja Ravi Varma Press works acquired by the Gallery includes some of the artist’s most iconic images, printed by the Press from the late 1800s and continuing after his death.

‘There really isn’t an artist who has had the influence in India that Raja Ravi Varma has had, and he is often recognised as the country’s first great modern artist.

‘Gallery visitors can view his depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses in scenes adapted from mythological stories and epic poems such as the Mahābhārata, the Ramayana and the Puranas. Deities such as Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Krishna and Ram reflect a fusion of Ravi Varma’s European art training with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography.

‘Many of these works were originally displayed in private domestic settings, in devotional puja rooms and spaces for worship. Some have been lovingly hand-embellished with brightly coloured cloth, beads and zardozi embroidery,’ Mr Nagesh said.

‘The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture’ is on display until 26 October 2026 and entry is free. For additional information and video please visit: Behind the Scenes

QAGOMA’s conservation and research exchange is supported by the Centre for Australia-India Relations. QAGOMA is proud to be a recipient of a Centre for Australia-India Relations Maitri grant.

ENDS