‘The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture’ (2025–26) 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, capturing the different conceptions and expressions of the divine as a living part of everyday life.

The exhibition centres around a collection of embellished oleographs of Hindu stories and deities by Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906). Considered the country’s first great modern artist, Ravi Varma’s portrayals of gods continue to have a palpable presence in Indian popular culture. When he established India’s first chromolithographic printing press in 1894, his depictions became widespread – and they remain so today, from adorning puja shrines in private homes to their influence in cinema and advertising.

Alongside Ravi Varma’s twentieth-century oleographs are works from India and across Asia that represent varied expressions of religious iconography, shrines and spaces of worship. The artworks also reflect – across a range of geographic and religious contexts – the presence of faith in everyday objects and its enduring influence on so many forms of creative expression.

QAGOMA has embarked on a landmark conservation and research exchange with colleagues in India to document and conserve a rare collection of Ravi Varma works. Specialists from QAGOMA’s conservation team will collaborate with the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, to share expertise and deepen cultural ties. 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.
 

Explore the exhibition list of works here.

Feature image: Works by Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan and Natee Utarit installed at QAG for 'The God of Small Things', August 2025 / © The artists / Photograph: C Callistemon, QAGOMA