BENGALURU: An eminent artist, art critic, columnist and former chairman of Central Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi tries to portray ‘unreal and invisible’ things around us in his series of work, Real and the Ethereal.
Throughout his career, C S Krishna Setty has been known for his work that relentlessly challenge the accepted notions of desire, sexuality, tradition and language, but still celebrate the poignancy of human experiences. In his current series as well, his metaphorical representations portray concepts of politics, literature and the more nuanced understanding of human life, our basic necessities, livelihoods and our deepest and the most secret desires. Setty says, “As artists, we use metaphors to convey our feelings and expressions. We do not prefer to convey them directly. There are many realities in the world and also some unreal things, which are invisible. They are something that we didn’t expect such as corruption and politics. I have tried to showcase that in my work.”
The artist adds that his work revolves around three concepts - libido and sexuality, power and politics and the common man - it portrays how the common man is exploited. The compositions of his paintings portray the progression of the artist’s mind and the flow of ideas, sometimes through geometric patterns and floral depictions or figures. One of his works show a human face with fish, snake swan and a chair. He says, “It shows how humans sometimes behave like fish or a snake. The chair in the artwork represents politics.” He has used direct ink on paper and pastel on paper and canvas to showcase his work. He says that the medium pastels are rare these days, as many artists think that pastels are only for the beginners. But he uses the medium in a way that is able to create textures. “It gives a different feel and a special texture, as you rub the pastel on the surface,” he says.
Inspired by the world, he says he paints what he sees or hears. “I subconsciously paint them on my canvas,” he adds. He showcases his new work in the series, Real and Ethereal. “All works are untitled as my viewers can create their own stories when they look at them,” he says.
Born in 1952, Setty hails from Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, Karnataka. He pursued Fine Arts from the University College of Art, Davangere, and did his research in graphics from Garhi Studios, New Delhi. He is the former Chairman and Administrator of Central Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, and has served as the Chairman of Karnataka Lalithakala Academy. He is the third artist from India to be awarded the honorary membership of Russian Academy in Moscow, 2017.
The exhibition Real and Ethereal is being held at Art Houz, Vasanth Nagar till January 3.