Text:  Aabha Muralidharan

Photos: Jinson Abraham

The evening was quiet special. The humbleness and warmth filed the David hall entrance as I entered and introduced myself. I guess it is this same humbleness and values that reflect upon his work. His works shout out messages to the public in the most subliminal manner. One would wonder how a stone like laterite would talk to people? That is where the heart of sculptors and sculpting lies. From Michelangelo’s Pieta and David to Leonardo Da Vinci’s horse, every sculpture had a face cut story. Valsan Koorma Kolleri and I sat together with a asumptuous amount of art and enough desserts about knowledge aesthetics.

What kind of inspiration does Cabral Yard give you?

I am working like a prehistoric man. There is no shelter. There is no electricity and basic help. This is a challenge in our country. There are a lot of spaces that is on paper, and the land has just been knocked off. I tend to work with “art of recycling”. I question where the object is discarded or not. It is more appropriate for me. The people of our country are becoming lazier. My interest is to bring skill and craft to universities. Because I think if there are skill and craft then nobody will suffer. What I am trying to do is over work. At a point, this over work will lead to spirituality and much more of enthusiasm. You will realise that there is no meaning in laziness. You come to an ecstasy.

What is sculpting to you?

Sculpting started during pre-historic time. In India, sculpting was the fist form of art. Because of our lifestyles and practices, majority of people have ignored the art called “sculpting” . Cinema, literature, poetry and even painting all these have become an important part of people’s lives. They react to it soon. Sculpture for me is not three- dimensional but multi-dimensional. I learnt cooking from sculpting; especially from bronze cast. If I go wrong anywhere, with the temperature or the pouring, the whole thing is a waste. From that discipline

I understood that not only bronze but every material has its values. We have to look at what we need to practice and whatever is your mind, you sculpt.

According to you what is the dynamics of sculpting?

Paintings have mobility. They can be moved and shifted. Sculptures are fixed. They are in a particular place and last for a longer period. The impact is similar to the feeling when people fist see something early in the morning. The energy that you get from seeing a sculpture or a piece of art is just amazing. From that, you grow further. Any shape has a colour, and any colour is a shape. You cannot see the colour alone. Even the canvas texture is a sculpture. Colours are not just pigments. When you sculpt, you don’t know the size, material or anything. But when it comes to painting, one knows the size of the canvas. So there is a lot of play with the material. Not only that but also other materials including water, air, light, etc.

Being an artist, do you hunt for your materials?

Right now, I am using laterite stones. In fact, for the past ten years I have been using laterite stones as well. It has been close to my heart. When I was a child. I pick up anything now. Fibre, coconut shell to anything adds to my art. There is a reason that it is there, even though they are not being used. Time is something that makes things meaningful.

Is it true that artists look for perfection?

Things happen like that. There is a process involved. I don’t believe in perfection. I believe in understanding of perfection. If you are perfect, your work will not be perfect.

What brought you to the arena of sculpting?

I don’t want to work under anybody, not even my father. I did not improve in my mathematics because I learnt mathematics in what I can use. Initially, I thought I would take it seriously. In fact, everyone was into mathematics. But here in my work, I am a slave. I can do anything. My thinking, my exercise, and my patience everything helps me in my sculptures. It’s an awareness. It’s an amazing experience.

How is art education in India?

Education in India itself is a sad situation. They shape people into unwanted human beings. Sometimes, I am ashamed to be a human being. It has come to that level that there are so many restrictions in life. People just want to pressurize so that others are under their control. That is the same case with freedom. Nobody can stop mental freedom. But that alone is not enough for anybody to prove someone’s talent. Art education should be made compulsory. Our country is still sustaining because of the people who have done amazing works. The new generation is not at all bothered. All the values and morals we had are slowly dying and to bring it back we need art education.

Why Biennale?

Biennale is like Theyyam for me. All kinds of people come to see Theyyam. When these they see themselves. Ultimately that is what matters. That is the most interesting thing. Where we live is in the present. It is not the past nor future. The entire energy is in that particular moment. I don’t believe in time. In fact, my work’s name is “How Goes the Enemy” . Time is our enemy.

Will there be a time when art will be able to make time as a physical dimension?

Yes. When the art education in India is very strict in schools, I am sure the scenario will change. What will our future generation put forward? Only then can we understand things like time, space, etc

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