Earlier this year the V&A invited expressions of interest from designers and artists to respond to a finely carved 19th-century wooden ceiling from a temple structure in Cochin (Kochi), South India. The ceiling will be part of the transformation of the V&A’s South Asia Gallery, opening in 2028.

Detail of ceiling panel, part of a coffered ceiling from a temple, carved polychromed teak, Cochin (Kochi), Kerala, 19th century, Museum no. IS.2564K-1883. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The coffered ceiling measures 6 metres by 1.7 metres and originally consisted of 45 carved wooden panels of Hindu deities measuring approximately 35.5 cm × 35.5 cm. Over half of these panels are now missing. The commission offers a unique and exciting opportunity for an artist/designer to create new panels to replace those that are missing and to integrate them into the restored ceiling.

The contemporary panels are inspired by the lotus flower, a recurring element in Kerala temple architecture, wood carving and mural painting, often used on ceilings, pillars and sanctum walls. Across South Asia, the lotus conveys spirituality, cosmic creation, and prosperity, embodying a shared cultural heritage.

We had a fantastic response to our call-out, from which six artists were shortlisted. Following a design review and interviews, an artist–designer duo was selected to create 25 new ceiling panels.

Photo credit @Gokul Kadam

Devi Seetharam is an artist from Kerala, currently based in Bangalore, India. She completed her BFA in Painting at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, in 2011. Informed by her transnational upbringing and experiences living across the world, her work explores histories, geographies, and the social fabric of diverse societies, revealing subtleties and harmonies within cultures that transcend borders. These influences inform a visual language that pairs meticulous process with thematic inquiry, uncovering quiet tensions, memories, and negotiations embedded within spaces.

Working primarily with acrylic on canvas, she employs a process of reductive mark-making; systematically paring back layers to build grain, texture, and form, creating surfaces of material and psychological depth. Her paintings invite viewers to read space as both a physical and cultural terrain.

Her current body of work, Brothers, Fathers and Uncles, was most notably exhibited at the 5th Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2022 – 23) and is held in private and institutional collections.

Photo credit @Sim Canetty-Clarke

Ananth Ramaswamy is an architect and interior designer working between London and Bangalore. He trained at the Architectural Association in London and leads Arall, a practice working across interiors, furniture, and object-based design. Alongside his studio, he is part of his family’s furniture manufacturing business in Bangalore, where close collaboration with craftspeople informs his approach to materiality and making. His work explores the relationship between culture, craft, and contemporary living, drawing in part on his family’s roots in Kerala. He was recently named a Rising Star by House & Garden, and his work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Homes & Gardens, and other international publications.

Read more about the open call.

The South Asia Gallery refurbishment is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Dunard Fund, Mandakini Puri and many other generous donors.

Photo credit @Gokul Kadam