Ilavenil Vasuky Jayapalan – Eezhavati

Celebrating Eezhavati and the Global Treaty on Genome Freedom

We invite you to join us in joyfully celebrating the anniversary both of the Global Treaty on Genome Freedom, and also of the founding of Eezhavati, perhaps the foremost pioneer in the field of corporate ethno-biotechnology.

The liberty to manipulate the human genome has not only transformed genetic research but given new hope to many communities decimated by colonial rule and subsequent genocide. Eezhavati itself was born from the resilience of the Eelam Tamil nation and its diaspora, which reflects the spirit of a people shaped by struggle and shared sacrifice. Together we celebrate the sacred bond between technology and spirituality that could allow us to transcend the traumas of history.

«Our mission was made possible by the divine freedoms that are now enshrined in law,» explains Nagini Tamizhchelvan, Chief Executive Officer of Eezhavati, as they reflect on what the company has achieved. «This hallowed legislation enables us to forge a future where our genetic ancestry is not only defined and preserved, but venerated as part of the cosmic tapestry. As Shaivaites, we know that each individual embodies a fragment of the divine consciousness; as technologists we are proud to empower society to confront the many profound global challenges we face, while protecting valuable cultural and biological identities in an ever-changing world.»

As we embrace this auspicious occasion, we recall the words of the ancient Tamil text Purananuru: «யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர்« – «To each their own land, and to all, a sense of kinship.»


Med Eezhavati forestiller Ilavenil Vasuky Jayapalan seg en nær fremtid der en CRISPR-fertilitetsklinikk, spesialisert på Eelam-tamilske gener, feirer 10-årsjubileet for Global Genome Freedom Act fra 2037. Gjennom bruk av film, skulptur og performance berører prosjektet temaer som teknologi og makt, folkemord og gjenfødelse, evolusjon og ny-eugenikk, sett gjennom hinduisk kosmologi. Eezhavati er Jayapalans første institusjonelle soloutstilling.

Ilavenil Vasuky Jayapalan (f. 1991) studerte ved Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo. Han har blant annet stilt ut ved Nasjonalmuseet, Hulias, Fotogalleriet og BO (Oslo), samt Sezon Art Gallery (Tokyo). Jayapalan har lenge samarbeidet med kunstnere som M.I.A., Christopher Kulendran Thomas og Annika Kuhlmann; deres samarbeid har blitt vist på musikkfestivaler verden rundt og på kunstinstitusjoner som ICA (London), de Young Museum (San Francisco), Kunsthalle Zürich og Kunstwerke (Berlin).

Eezhavati støttes av Kulturdirektoratet.