Sculptor Jacob Jebaraj Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
AVibhuti-A hazy mirror is the background to the art pieces in the Art Kin Center’s latest exhibition. It gives one a glimpse of one’s own reflection while weaving intricate line work through the swirls of ash. An installation covered with dried clay that is the centerpiece of the exhibition frames sculptures among old phones, keyboards and typewriters. This installation, inspired by the termite mounds revered in rural South India, is a contemporary depiction of pantheism where nature is sacred. Through Granite, Primordial Elements looks at art’s modernity through the lens of established traditions, both metaphorically and literally.
“The elements are as old as the Earth. “I am grateful to the earth for allowing me to do my creativity,” says artist Jacob Jebaraj, drawing inspiration from his immersion in the water bodies around him as a child in Tambaram in the 1970s. , Jeebraj considers nature as his first teacher. Incorporating the Madras Art Movement into his sculptures, he describes his journey with his artworks as follows:craftsmanship (Hindu texts describing arts and crafts)In contemporary times.”
Thandam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The flow of water through clay textures is the basis for the sculptures displayed in Primordial Elements. The zebras mimic this flow with an accuracy that is not mathematically driven, but is dependent on the motion of water in three-dimensional space.
Through his art, he aims to connect with the observer through the form, line, space, texture, color and balance of stone. He describes it as a psychological method in which one’s mental state, including anxiety or anger, is revealed in the depth of their artwork. “Art is proof of my existence,” he says. This is my communication with the Supreme.
Theepam Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Anahat Sundaramurthy, curator of the Primordial Elements Experience and co-founder of Art Kin Centre, aims to bring out the irony of Chennai’s water crisis. This is despite being a coastal city that is blessed with sea, rainfall and freshwater rivers. “Water bodies are sacred and almighty. Yet, there is reluctant dependence in urban centres,” she says. “Contemporary frees one to see,” says Sundaramurthy. But when you know the form you can break the form. Art enhances tradition.”
Primordial Elements will be on from 11 am to 7 pm till December 15 at Art Kin Centre, TT Krishnamachari Road, Alwarpet, Chennai. The price of artefacts starts from ₹20,000.
published – December 11, 2024 03:53 PM IST
