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Murali Cheerothe - I still remember you as the first person in Santiniketan to attempt making huge sculptures which explored more of iconic and mythical subjects. These were human figures which almost without movement, become a part of their magnificent surroundings. Other themes were taken from Malayalam literary works of O.V. Vijayan and Basheer etc. which were more closed and intimate contexts in immaterial elements. When you take a retrospective look, do you feel! that your work has evolved in essential ways or is there something that is the same from very early on?
A. P.Sunil - ‘87-91’ That was when i joined college of Fine Arts Trivandrum as an art student. During this phase the campus possessed a certain political and social climate that soon played a considerable role in my student life. Looking back, however, I somewhat realise that being so involved, i had dismissed certain areas in Art, aseptically as I call it - a science of Art.
The last phase of my college life at Trivandrum was marked by the impact of social politicial and social issues that were affecting the global world as a whole, in that time period. The breakdown on Communist strongholds like Russia greatly affected the cultural and emotional learnings of the youth in particular. And this in turn made a notable impact on the Art, Literature and cinema of these times.
It is after a gap of two years, that I joined Santiniketan for my Post Graduate studies. As for as I am concerned, the greatest impacts on my artistic sensibility was attained here. Day to day interactions with the living sculptures of Ramkinker Baij, Murals of village life by Binode Behari Mukherjee interspersed between the walls, ceilings, and vaerandas of the room that Ilived in aesthetic theories on Tao and Zen art, and its concepts, all these challenged my creative energy and this in turn, affected my visual vocabulary and thought processer.
While I was studying here, the common practice in my Department was to make small sculptures in different media. contrary to this norm. I made large scale sculptures in wood, which was not the preferred medium employed by the students there. My working method also varied greatly. I preferred a very fast working process, where in the texture of the material (wood) was emphasised using unconventional tools like axe etc. This fast approach evolving a crude and raw, as opposed to the sleek and referred a method adopted by Ramkinker, was not given a significant position in the college at that time. However it pleased my aesthetic sensibility and I saw a similar working process in the creation of other artists like Ramkinker, Binode Behari, and the Zen artists which soon became part of my working process. I was well - versed with Malayalam Literature of Basheer and O.V.Vijayan, however now my attention was turned to the self searching aspects found in Vijayan’s literary works during this time, I also became familiar wih the works of Western sculptors, in particular Antony Gormley and Tony Cragg. I was especially influenced by certain areas of the visual language used by Tony Cragg. |
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Murali:- In the course of contemporary practice how does the size matter to you?
A.P. Sunil:- Earlier days I worked with long sculptures but after completion of my studies at Santhiniketan I turtned to doing Ceramic sculptures at the Ceramic studio at Bharat Bhavan. My thought process and working methodology underwent on unprecedented change as I came under the influence of Sanchi and Buddhist art. Contrary to wood that I had handled so far, the mew medium was a direct antithesis. Cermics requires soft handling and a slow working process. As a result, I found myself making small sculptures at a slow meditative pace, in tune to my thinking process of that period.
Following this, I moved to Kanoria, and the experience gained from working with ceramics was carried forth to wood. I largely worked with small sculptures, though occassionally I would still make large sculptures working in the pottery department I experienced with the pottery wheel as a tool to mould few sculptures. |
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Murali:- Frederic Jameson on the Post Modern condition, said something like there are so many new styles and posiblities and all the best ones have already been used. Responding to this how do you engage and place yourself in the realm of contemporary art practice and discourse?
A.P. Sunil: As far as I am concerned the evolution of my works, came as a result of realising the realities of each time period that I had travelled through. This realisation brought about a change in my thougth process. After returning to Kerala I returned to sculpture after a short gap. My approach now took a satirical twist in the light of Malayalam literature that I had mentioned earlier of Vaikom Muhammed Basheer and O.V. Vijayan. But despite my previous encounters with them, my attention now turned deeper to its bivalent element, which had not been obvious to me earlier on. I thus relised that such a language, best suited me, to relate to the soical realities of today. We fail to recognise the specific role that each person is required to do in the different phases of Social growth we do not realise as to who is required to do whose role. Minister being King, King being Minister, Policeman being Lawyer and Lawyer being Police- this is what is being done. It is these illogical issues and absurd strategies that I have tried to portray through the familiar images of common life. |
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Murali:- You make a living as a teacher, but you have maintained a connection with your art practice all these years, what was the intention to choose teaching profession?
A. P. sunil:- As you know already, after completing the course at Santiniketan I worked in Bharat Bhavan and Kanoria. I tried to work as a freelance sculptor but the circumstances were not favourable. The financial difficulties I faced then, forced me on a road to hunt for a job. Taking up a teaching job in a Fine Arts College, as opposed to many other job opportunities, seems so far to me as a better option for a working artist. |
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Murali:- What inspires you to do art and how do you keep yourself motivated when things get tough in the studio?
A. P. Sunil :- As I said earlier each person has a specific role, and I recognise mine is to be an artist. The realities that I have realised through the literature and poetry that I have read, and through Film and music inspires me to take on my role. The great treasures of Indian Art that unravelled before my eyes, during the journeys that I have ventured on, also inspires me.
(Murali Cheeroth is a well - acclaimed artist in the contemporary art scene. He is currently settled in Banglore.) |
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