The Kerala ‘Chakara’ An artist’s record of a fishing phenomenon.Susan Beaulah came across the ‘Chakara’ quite by chance. Emerging onto a remote Kerala beach in 2001, on her first trip to India, she was delighted to find it bursting with life; the shore was lined with extraordinary, fanciful fishing boats and, almost as far as the eye could see, people everywhere were landing, sorting and selling fish.A wonderfully picturesque scene, the reality of the Chakara is also of intense heat, squalor, noise and stench; also the curiosity - even animosity - of the fishing communities who were not keen to allow a female, foreign painter the space and peace to discreetly record their activities and lives. So vibrant and astounding was the whole experience, however, that Susan was determined not to be driven away… Returning the following year, she found herself faced not with the amazing scenes of the previous year, but by miles of empty sand; not a fisherman let alone a fishing boat in sight. Had it been a mirage, or was she simply on the wrong beach? No, what she had previously stumbled upon was a phenomenon known as ‘The Chakara’.Kerala is a lushly exotic State of waterways where as many as 41 rivers and creeks form what is known as ‘The Backwaters’. Just how and exactly where a Chakara occurs is little understood, but it seems that during torrential monsoon rains, clays and silts are washed down from the mountains in huge quantities. These deposits, rich in silica and certain metals, are carried by the rivers as they break through coastal mud banks en route to sea. There, a chemical reaction takes place between the riverine mud and the sea salts which literally thickens the sea water. The unusual calm this brings to the normally turbulent coast, as well as by the oxygen and nutrients released from the clay, attracts huge numbers of fish and shrimps, creating a perfect environment for the eager fishermen. The ephemeral nature of the mud banks means that the position of the Chakara, which lasts only a few months, changes from year to year. Susan, with her driver and guide, Babu, covered hundreds of miles of Kerala coast before re-discovering this illusive fishing community. Acclimatising herself to the hardships of the beach and negotiating a working relationship with the fishermen has been a delicate and often nerve-wracking experience.The extraordinary story of how she established a rapport is told by her in the illustrated account that accompanies the Exhibition

This Exhibition runs from 6pm Thursday 15th May- 6pm Monday 2nd June. For more information please log on to www.abbottandholder.co.uk

30 Museum Street- opposite the British Museum –London WC1A 1LH