Kathputli (Kathputli Trio)

Suspended on near-invisible strings, these folk figures inhabit a pale, breath-like void where tradition feels both cherished and gently manipulated, as if identity itself were a staged performance. The saturated reds, ochres, and violets—banded with rhythmic, textile-like stripes—create a ceremonial warmth that clashes with the characters’ mask-still faces, suggesting intimacy laced with restraint. Overlapping bodies and softened edges produce a quiet choreography of closeness and distance, turning the scene into a meditation on roles we inherit, the tenderness they offer, and the subtle weight they impose.