When the heart beats for art
BENGALURU: Emphasising on insufficient efforts from government institutions, city-based sculptor Shanthamani Muddaiah feels this is what causes the slowdown in artists’ growth. At Manasa, a national conference on art, craft and design held at Bangalore International Center, Domlur, on October 26, Muddaiah narrated how she embarked on the usage of natural materials in sculpting, which was a dialogue of concern in the global spectrum back in 2001.
“I also tuned into the solutions put forward by people and this triggered a thought about how certain innovations will really save the environment. Carbon as a material can really speak about our times and I decided to represent that in my art.”
Born in Mysuru, Muddaiah emphasised on the evolution of Bengaluru through decades and said the city has burnt out with the move from a garden city to a tech hub. In 2014, Muddaiah displayed her mammoth 7x5x70 ft sculpture titled ‘Backbone’ at the Kochi -Muziris Biennale. The exhibit was made of cement and luminous cinder depicting a large spinal column. “I see a lot more people using similar materials today and realise why art holds on to something,” she said.
Muddaiah also emphasised on the handcrafted products losing out to cheaper alternatives as a situation where the core of the issue is the swift cycle of replacement, which only overlooks the financial factors and not the cultural factor.
“When you look at how Bengaluru has evolved with time, what one loses is their meaningful way of living. It’s not just the art and craft but also the value of life that is lost,” said Muddaiah. Speaking about her future projects, she stated that her work will revolve around carbon as a material, which has brought her to the centre of her life. “I may be working with other kinds of carbon representation but coal is definite as my journey isn’t over yet.”