THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said only a cultured society can express its love for an artist in a fitting manner. He was speaking after honouring sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman on the occasion of his 80th birthday at Kanakakunnu Palace. Celebrating the 50 years of his magnum opus Yakshi, he said Kanayi has made swift interventions in the field of sculptural aesthetics and artistic values and approaches at least five decades ago with a focus to bring a change in the society. He was instrumental in breaking the images of orthodoxy through humanistic interventions.
An artist who follows the principles of orthodoxy cannot carve out such a sculpture of Yakshi 50 years ago. Through this work, he broke the stereotype image of a woman that she had to be confined inside the four walls of a house. He could put forward the idea of freedom for women through a sculpture.
And even the sculptor had to face the wrath of moral policing during the construction of the sculpture. It shows even that time there had been the instances of dictating terms for an artist by a section of people like what a sculptor or artist should do, he said.
Even 50 years after the incident, there is no let up in intolerance attack against artists and writers in the country. Artists, thinkers and writers still have to face the unsavoury attitude of a section of people and if it is allowed to continue, no artistic work which has the potential to bring a change in the society will be materialised.
Art will thrive only in a fearless atmosphere. And the concept he put forward has still relevance and the honours he has been receiving are the reflections of the social relevance of his works even today, the Chief Minister said. Mullakkara Rathanakaran presided over the function, which was followed by an infotainment stage show based on the life and times of Kanayi and a bharatanatyam performance.