One of Kolkata’s premium art galleries- Emami Art has come up with yet another spectacular exhibition in collaboration with Vadehra Art Gallery. Titled Songs of Reclamation: The Art by A Ramachandran, the display has been curated by R Siva Kumar and features a significant section of the artist’s recent works. Each of the pieces has been expressed through different mediums in different scales.
A. Ramachandran began his artistic career in the 1960s and was heavily influenced by post- independence experiences. His early works often showcase the predicament of peripheral men confined to a life of restrictions, irrationality and suffering in a world that goes big on freedom, rationality and progress. In the two decades between the early 60’s and late 80’s, a focussed expression of committed art and the modern world as a place of absurd cruelty and suffering found place in his art pieces. His art turned out to be an emphatic protest articulated on a grand scale in the following years, akin to murals. He gradually grew closer to the Mexican artists Orozco and Siqueiros as compared to the Euro- American artistic vanguards.
“I was deeply influenced by Nandalal Bose and Ramkinkar Baij from a young age. I was drawn to their uniqueness. Their art style influenced me to experiment with diverse mediums. I am not an artist who can work within the four walls of the studio. While I was in Shantiniketan, we would often be asked to visit Santhal villages for local sketches. These experiences laid the foundation to my works and I realised how important it is for me to interact with nature and be inspired with its myriad shades. I have worked on children's books, sculptures, oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, sketches and much more. I do not adhere to limitations, which is why I consider myself as a Bohurupi in Indian art,” shares the artist A. Ramachandran.
In the mid-1980s, disenchanted with his endeavour to change hearts through art, Ramachandran decided to begin anew after an encounter with the landscape and life of rural communities around Udaipur. In the marginalized Bhils, who lived a communitarian life in harmony with nature, he saw more freedom and awareness of social ecology. In his recent art, he might appear to be turning away from modernism and making a romantic escape into the pre-modern past. But on closer look, it is not difficult to see that he is reminding us of nature and everything else that made life beautiful and meaningful before we instrumentalized nature and man. Besides reminding us of what has been lost in our pursuit of progress, he is also alerting us to the need for re-enchanting the world. Viewing them at a time when we are staring at the possibility of a sixth extinction, his works assume a special significance for us.
Although he is primarily a painter, Ramachandran is also interested in expressing his vision in as many mediums and ways as possible. It has made him a sculptor, a tireless and brilliant draftsman, and an enthusiastic designer, especially of books for children. This exhibition offers a glimpse into all that.
What: Songs of Reclamation: The Art by A Ramachandran
Where: Ground, first and fifth floors of Emami Art
When: Up till December 2022
Contact: emamiart.com