Get cot in the act

Vivan Sundaram's 12 Bed Ward is sparse, simple, but haunting. Is this an abandoned hospital, a forgotten dorm, a bombed-out base or something more familiar?

- TEHMEENA FIRDOS

Vivan Sundaram's work explores so many different mediums. I believe he builds meaningful conversations with any object he chooses and personalises it to him and his artistic practice. His works are largely concerned with social issues that affect most of us. I wonder how he manages to create a language that is so uniquely his own, even while being relatable on so many levels.

I saw his 2005 installation, 12 Bed Ward, in 2018, at a retrospective dedicated to him. It was like stepping into his mind, like you knew him intimately. At the same time, it didn't feel like the mind of someone who was sane.