Tamil Nadu artist Vignesh turns sunlight into art, called ‘Asia’s first sunlight artist’

Mayiladuthurai: It’s not just his tools and techniques that set Vignesh apart. The 32-year-old Mayiladuthurai resident creates art using sunlight as his medium, earning him the title ‘Asia’s First Sunlight Artist’. His work includes intricate sketches of personalities like Virat Kohli and detailed family portraits. “I didn’t turn to art for money,” Vignesh says. “I just turned to it to get rid of my negative thoughts, my depression.”

‘I reached an all-time low’

In 2010, Vignesh completed a degree in electronics engineering and joined a broadband company. Things changed in 2016 when severe back pain began. He also lost his mother months later.“I was at a very low point in my life,” he says. He moved to his aunt’s house in his native place, hoping a change would help. The back pain worsened until he could not walk more than a few steps. In 2017, doctors told him he would have to stay in bed until his back recovered. He took a sabbatical from work.

The forced rest brought distress and negative thoughts. “Having to live in someone else’s house, not having a job anymore…” he recalls. After a few weeks, he decided to divert his mind and started drawing. Vignesh is a self-taught sunlight artist. What began as a way to cope with depression has now become his unique art form.