BENGALURU: Almost nine years ago, when I came to Bengaluru for work, I hardly knew Odia-speaking people here. But today, the community has grown much bigger in the city,” says Odisha-based sand artist
Sudam Pradhan, who was in Bengaluru for an exhibition at Orion Mall, Rajajinagar.
The 34-year-old artist presented around 10 sand sculptures of Indian monuments like India Gate, Red Fort, Rameswaram Temple, Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar and other themed works like Gandhiji and Three Monkeys, conveying the message of world peace at the exhibition which started on January 24. “It took two days to finish the sculptures. I have tried to add flavours of South Indian culture in my works,” Pradhan says about the exhibition. He also adds that the whole idea of such sand art exhibitions in shopping malls is getting more popularity nowadays. “People are excited to see how this can be done inside a shopping mall. There are some differences in making it in malls from what can be created outdoors. First, we need to create a foundation for each sculpture. Here, we have used plyboards. Display techniques are much higher in these malls, while we face a lot of restrictions displaying it outdoors. It can affected by the climate and various other interventions,” he says.
Pradhan has been working in this field for 25 years. “Since childhood, sand art was my passion. But it took some years to turn it into a profession. Now I don’t feel like I’m working. I am doing my hobby professionally,” he laughs. Over the years, he has performed at different venues across the globe. When asked about what he considers as his great achievements, he says, “In 2016, I won second place in International Sand Art Contest at Shira Hama Beach, Japan. That was a prestigious moment for me. Starting a Sand Art Museum was a long waited dream, which I fulfilled in 2018. It is made out of my personal effort. Now, it has become a tourist spot.”
In Bengaluru also, Pradhan has worked as an artist. “I have worked in Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram and Orion Mall here. During my early years, it was for smaller projects and I did not know anyone here. Things have changed. Now, many of my cousins are working in IT companies here. I only got to know a few distant ones when they called me seeing my Twitter posts,” he says.The sand art exhibition will continue till January 31.