With the generous support of donors Michael Combs and Adam Haddow, the Art Gallery of Ballarat commissioned Nithiyendran to develop a new work in conversation with a painting in their collection, Buddha’s renunciation 1884, by English artist Nicholas Chevalier (1828-1902). By selecting a painting made in Australia in the 1880s with a European style, depicting a story that originated in India over 2,000 years ago, Nithiyendran continues his exploration of global histories and languages of figurative representation. The two works were displayed together in an installation environment that draws upon elements of the artist’s Sydney studio.