BENGALURU: Art completes the architecture of a space, says artist Arunkumar HG. “Earlier, art and architecture were not separate entities. Art gave a personality to the architecture of a building. Now, I am not sure where modern India stands in terms of art,” he adds.Art needs patrons to survive, but the biggest challenge for a sculptor like him is infrastructure. He says, “Making one sculpture in a small studio space is a challenge. Also, you need to invest a lot of time and money in it. The work was commissioned this time. Hence, I could make it,” he says. Arunkumar has displayed a 6-feet high and 11-feet wide sculpture of Nandi at RMZ Ecoworld, Sarjapur. He adds, “Nandi is predominantly seen in the culture of south India. The material I used is rustic steel chains. Hence, it stands as a contrast to the otherwise ‘glossy’ corporate world.”
Opening up of corporate spaces for art is a big relief. Hoping that it becomes a trend, Arunkumar says, “We need to have alternative spaces for art, especially sculptures. Paintings can find space in homes, but you rarely find spaces for big sculptures. Art, in the new corporate world, can provide relaxation to the thousands of people who work there.”
But care should be taken to ensure that the art piece is not lost in such a huge space. That’s also a challenge, adds another artist, Paresh Maity. Paresh visited the space several times last year to plan his sculpture. He says, “The size and shape of the sculpture is very vital when it is an outdoor space. You need to look at the architecture and environment of the space.
You have to create a piece of art on that basis.” Paresh has also installed a scultpure of a bull with minimilistic work in bronze. It tries to portray the same image and expression that art did during the time of Mohenjo Daro. He is trying to portray the power of women through his sculptures. Paresh adds, “Such spaces not only increase the number of patrons, but also the aesthetics of the place. The place looked different without art. Now, it looks fantastic.”
Anu Menda, managing trustee, RMZ Foundation, says Bengaluru has long established its place on the world map as a destination for art. It enjoys the privilege of playing host to a diverse and vibrant population. “We would like to be custodians to bring art to the city. We would like to hold cross cultural educational programmes with students and host work of international artists in our campus.” There are presently seven installations by six artistes - Subodh Gupta, Ravinder G Reddy, Dhurva Mistry, Paresh Maity, Arunkumar HG, Jayasri Burman.The space is open for public viewing, and entry is completely free.