There is a moment, standing before one of Raja Ravi Varma’s oleographs at the Queensland Art Gallery, when something unexpected happens. The goddess looks back at you — not as a remote, untouchable deity, but as someone familiar. Someone almost human.
That is precisely the point.
The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture is one of the most quietly remarkable exhibitions currently on display in Brisbane. Drawing its title from Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize-winning novel, the exhibition explores the omnipresence of faith in the mundane and extraordinary alike — and it does so through 48 uniquely embellished oleographs by India’s first great modern artist, Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906). Entry is free, and the exhibition runs until 5 October 2026.
The Man Who Democratised the Divine
Born into an aristocratic family in Kilimanoor, in present-day Kerala, Raja Ravi Varma trained in both traditional Indian art and European academic painting. That fusion — Western realism applied to Indian mythological subjects — became his signature, and it changed Indian visual culture forever.
In 1894, Ravi Varma founded India’s first chromolithographic press in Bombay, using advanced German printing technology to reproduce his paintings as oleographs — vibrant lithographic prints varnished to resemble oil paintings. For the first time, deities like Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Krishna and Ram could hang in ordinary homes. At a time when temple access was restricted by caste and gender, this was nothing short of revolutionary.
“There really isn’t an artist who has had the influence in India that Raja Ravi Varma has had,” says Tarun Nagesh, QAGOMA’s Curatorial Manager of Asian and Pacific Art.
His images remain present in Indian popular culture to this day — from puja shrines in private homes to their influence in cinema and advertising.
More Than a Print
What makes this collection particularly extraordinary is what happened to many of these works after they left the press. Unknown artisans — in acts of deep personal devotion — hand-embellished the prints with fabric, beads, gold and silver thread, and zardozi embroidery.
Zardozi, meaning ‘gold embroidery’ in Classical Persian, is an elaborate artform that reached India from West and Central Asia in the twelfth century, flourishing during the Mughal era. In the context of these oleographs, it transforms a printed image into something sacred — a devotional object, worn smooth by years of reverence.
In Padmini (c.1896–97, printed c.1930s), the goddess stands serenely in a pond of blooming lotuses, her gaze lifted in spiritual contemplation. An unknown artisan has added embroidered textile elements in shimmering threads and layered fabric, lending a tactile richness that the original print never had. What was once a reproduction has become something entirely its own.
In Sri Ram Janki Vilas, Rama and Sita stand close together in an intimate moment from the Ramayana — before exile, before loss. Later embellishments have added gold thread and sequins to Sita’s sari, densely jewelled Rama’s headdress, and applied beading to form necklaces, earrings and bracelets. The mythic and the handmade, inseparable.
One of the most dramatically arresting works is Jatayu Vadh (early 20th century, printed 1930s) — an unusual scene of violence from the Ramayana in which the noble vulture-king Jatayu attempts to stop Ravana’s abduction of Sita. Ravi Varma’s composition conveys remarkable theatricality, and the piece closely resembles a painting commissioned by the royal court of Mysore — a reminder of how deeply his work was woven into the fabric of royal and domestic life alike.
A World-Leading Conservation Story
Behind the beauty of this exhibition lies an extraordinary act of international scholarship. QAGOMA’s conservation of these works — stabilising ink, paper, textiles, glitter and sequins that in some cases are over a century old — required a world-leading exchange with colleagues at the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru.
Conservators from MAP visited Brisbane, while QAGOMA’s own specialist conservators Kim Bartlett and Dr Michael Marendy travelled to India. The project was supported by a significant Maitri Grant from the Australian Government through the Centre for Australia-India Relations.
“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,” says QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM.
The 48 oleographs were acquired by QAGOMA in 2024 through the Henry and Amanda Bartlett Trust — and with the new selection now on display, the exhibition feels renewed.
See It for Yourself
The God of Small Things: Faith and Popular Culture is on display at the Queensland Art Gallery, South Bank, until 5 October 2026. Entry is free.
QAGOMA has also produced a suite of free digital resources accompanying the exhibition, including behind-the-scenes conservation videos and curator perspectives from Tarun Nagesh and Abigail Bernal — well worth exploring before or after your visit.
