Joel Thottathil has been working on his first major body of work, Dear Mister Thottathil, since 2020.
He has always been fascinated by celebrities and VIPs, and by the mechanisms that lead to fame. His interests range from football players and pop stars to Catholic priests, the Pope, and the British royal family.
As if to surround himself with these extraordinary figures, Joel Thottathil began creating ceramic portraits of them. In a next step, he photographed the sculptures and sent the images—along with a personal letter—to each person he had portraye d. The replies always began with “Dear Mister Thottathil, …” These letters were exhibited in 2023, alongside a selection of his ceramic works, at Neuer Kunstraum Düsseldorf.
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Joel Thottathil has been working on his first major body of work, Dear Mister Thottathil, since 2020.
He has always been fascinated by celebrities and VIPs, and by the mechanisms that lead to fame. His interests range from football players and pop stars to Catholic priests, the Pope, and the British royal family.
As if to surround himself with these extraordinary figures, Joel Thottathil began creating ceramic portraits of them. In a next step, he photographed the sculptures and sent the images—along with a personal letter—to each person he had portraye
d.
The replies always began with “Dear Mister Thottathil, …” These letters were exhibited in 2023, alongside a selection of his ceramic works, at Neuer Kunstraum Düsseldorf.
Dear Mr. Thottathil, Solo Exhibition, Goldstein Galerie
Der weltbekannte Planet, NKR - Neuer Kunstraum
Heike & Toni The mobile museum shop project
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