Rhythmic harmony

K.S. Radhakrishnan’s sculptures play out life in perfect harmony and rhythm in his recent solo exhibition titled “In the open”. Curated by Anubhav Nath, this show features around 30 large scale outdoor sculptures by the noted artist. The show will also showcase exclusive pictorial documentation of K.S. Radhakrishnan’s site specific works installed in various national and international venues accompanied by a book written by art historian and critic Johny ML focusing on Radhakrishnan’s works.

“As a city, Delhi has not yet opened to the idea of open air sculptures though we have some public sculptures,” shares Anubhav and adds, “K.S. Radhakrishnan’s works are not decorative pieces. They are contemporary works of art with a strong sense of artistic individuality expressed in the enduring medium of bronze. I am quite interested in showcasing this internationally recognised artist’s sculptural narratives with all its mythical, folklore-ish and contemporary vigour.”

An art collector’s pride and a new collector’s aspiration, K.S. Radhakrishnan’s bronze sculptures have always catered to people with classic taste and eye for refined aesthetics. Talking about the artist’s most important works on display and what makes it iconic, Anubhav says, “His ‘Musui’ and ‘Maiya’ series is special. The characters are part alter egos of the sculptor, and part fictional characters through whom Radhakrishnan has been exploring the world and sharing his perceptions with us with the assumed detachment of a third person narrative. Over the years, we have seen Musui becomes Jesus, he becomes devil, Nataraj and so much more but his smile never goes away. Musui and Maiya are lookalikes divided by gender, and by mirroring each other and by metamorphosing into an endless series of ‘others’, like children playing roles, they mock the sense of immutable identity and make us recognise the sameness encrypted into differences.”

The exhibition also marks the 60th birthday of the national-award winning artist. Anubhav says, “Feel proud and excited to be able to curate a show marking the 60 birthday of Radhakrishnan. We have tried to showcase his journey as an artist and also bring some of the works showcased at National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore last year.”

He adds, “Radhakrishnan has done quite a number of monumental public sculptures. However, in this show, one could have a taste of both the open air and public sculptures. This exhibition also includes equal number of indoor works giving the viewer an opportunity to understand Radhakrishnan’s sense of space through his works.”

According to the artist, sculptures need breathing space and a sculpture could breathe well only in the open air. Open air sculpture does not automatically translate into ‘public sculptures’ that are created for ‘public’ consumption. The artist has donated many works of his across the country like “Heritage Column” at the Garden of Five Senses and “Time Tides” in Calicut amongst others. “An open air sculpture could be public and private at the same time. My works, irrespective of their size, are always conceived as independent aesthetic entities that demand open air for their existence,” shares the artist.