Young sculptors are using experimental, exploratory approach

I find myself getting increasingly drawn to sculpture as an idiom and find its language fascinating. Not surprising considering our strong roots with almost realistic forms being the core of tradition. My only regret is a vast number of sculptures have been lost thanks to the belief that damaged pieces should be sent for visarjan. Dredging riverbeds have revealed a veritable treasure house of some mind boggling pieces. However, when contemporary artists extend their attention to the medium, the results can be enthralling.

A show that grabbed my attention was a solo exhibition of S.Nandagopal’s sculptures on the occasion of artist turning 70 this year. Painter, metal worker and ceramist turned into a sculptor, Nandagopal magically transforms our strong traditional roots into a super-contemporary idiom that is uniquely his own. The exhibition showcases 21 recent works of metal that tell stories of India’s mythology and South India’s cultural tradition in a contemporary form. Several figures have been taken from Hindu mythology and the epics but are chic and contemporary in treatment and form. A work depicting Vishnu sprawled on the sheshnag complete with the lotus emanating from his nabhi being a case in point.

He is one of the few sculptors who is continuing the tradition of ‘frontality'', one of the defining characteristic of the Madras Art Movement, started by his father K.C.S. Panicker. Though contemporary in form, Nandagopal often uses traditional techniques to create his sculptures like enameling, engraving and silver plating. A serene silver Krishna perched atop a bell stole my heart.

Nandagopal titles his sculptures that easily connect them with India’s most ancient images. Each sculpture gives evidence of a remarkable creative synthesis of ancient forms and themes with old and modern techniques and sensibility, creating a new form. His usage of the form of a temple bell by melding it ostensibly to stand some of the works is a wonderful amalgam of tradition and how easily age-old designs work aesthetically with modern lines.

S. Nandagopal, born in Bangalore in 1946, lives and works in Cholamandal artist's village near Chennai. He has received his Diploma in Fine Arts from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras in 1971. Nandagopal was amongst the first group of artists to move into Cholamandal Artist’s Village near Chennai, the only artists’ residency of its kind in the country. His works are inspired from the rich ancient techniques he practices at the Village.

Another group show aptly titled Mélange, consists of contemporary sculptures from Bengal showcasing a selection of works. These sculptors, either reside in Bengal or outside, are all trained in Bengal and have deep rooted connection with the legacy of Bengal either pedagogically, or culturally or both. The works feature the experimental and exploratory in modern sculpture making of artists born in the 60s or later.

The senior-most artist showing is the gentle and soft-spoken glass sculptor Vijay Kowshik whose tactile work an aesthete’s delight. It is a veritable dance of glass the way he handles it with huge aplomb. Playful in form, yet serious in content and meaning, the works almost reflect the sculptor’s personality and attitude.

The artists showing include Animesh Mahata, Arindam Sarker, Kaushik Halder, Pankaj Panwar,Srikanta Banerjee, Surajit Sarkar, Suvajit Samanta, Tapan Barui, Tarun Maity, Vijay Kowshik, Debabrata Sarkar and Saurav Roy Chowdhury. One of the most striking features in the works of these artists is an experimental and exploratory approach to their work. The thematic range is wide and open to various ideas and concepts; and so is the material use. The idioms evident in their works range from narrative, iconic, formalist, tactile and even conceptual to some degree.

The younger generation of sculptors do not shy away from being experimental, inviting the non conventional and exploring the possibilities of the medium. They make strong visual statements primarily by the way they use their selected mediums and make the material has as much to say as the message. The idea that the medium is not merely a vehicle of a theme but a theme by itself is the motto of these artists and they prove it with assurance.

Dr Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist and can be contacted on alkaraghuvanshi@ yahoo.com Alka Raghuvanshi www.alkaraghuvanshi.com http://alkaart.blogspot.com