Metal waste masterpiece

Saravanan, who started with clay and stones, is now creating human figurines with scrap from vehicles. While the artist’s work is being showcased at DakshinaChitra, he opens up to CE about his journey
Sculptor Saravanan’s works
Sculptor Saravanan’s works

CHENNAI: Sculptor Saravanan’s works closely indicate his simple and idyllic upbringing — metal sculptures of a seed sprouting a tiny sapling and a magnifi cent jackfruit with each spike finely detailed — impressive for someone who uses scrap metal for his works! The promising sculptor’s work is being exhibited at DakshinaChitra this month, and he speaks to CE on the unique travails of his work.

He was initiated into sculpting using clay and stone when he was six, working under his master Margandeyan. Once he became adept at creating works using the easiest mediums, he started giving wings to his creativity by moving on to work with bronze.

“Not a lot of people were using bronze for metal sculpting — actually people did not use metals at all,” he recounts. He would scrounge for waste scrap metal from discarded motor vehicles and scooters and would create human figurines. “Once I started getting noticed, several popular art galleries in Pondicherry started featuring my works,” says the Pondicherry-based sculptor. He was even awarded in the youth category during a national exhibition in the Union Territory. “I soon started to boost my productivity by using iron in my work... though I started off using scrap metal today I can use new metal to incorporate in my work,” he says. And the process of creation itself, he says, is tenuous.

“Once I identify the right pieces I want to work with, I heat and hammer them into the required shapes. Sometimes, they need to be melted completely and moulded again to create the right texture and shapes,” he states. It takes him anywhere between three weeks to two months to fi nish a particular work, depending on the scale of the project.

“The jackfruit installation, for example, took me two-and-a-half months to complete, because I had to weld each and every spike I made onto the main section. Each spike is individually machined to specific dimensions and then attached one by one,” he says. His creative spark has urged him to move towards installations highlighting trees and the importance of nature.

Saravanan’s sculptures are displayed at DakshinaChitra, Muttukadu, till May 10

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