CHENNAI: Mythical and mystical sculptures, glowing copper and enamel metal reliefs, and transcendent paintings. Artist and sculptor S Hemalatha’s solo exhibition at Art World takes us on an ethereal journey. The 50-year-old has exhibited 60 artworks and sculptures — a compilation of her three-odd decade long journey in the industry.
In 2015, when CE had the chance to view her artworks at a group exhibition, we were bowled over by the aesthetics of her creations. “Usually when people look at such metal-based works, they assume it’s made by a man because it doesn’t look delicate. But in the last two decades, I have been able to create a difference and now people recognise this as my work. This is my signature,” she had told us.
Now, four years later, we ask her if the distinctive artworks made by women are getting due recognition. “When I started out as a metal relief artist, there were very few women in the industry. The competition was less. A woman doing metal-based artwork was new. Women themselves used to ask me how a ‘woman’ is doing something so laborious. But yes, the situation is changing. I see a lot more women experimenting and coming forward with their distinctive creative process. They are being recognised,” shares the Tamil Nadu State Award recipient.
Hemalatha, who has also exhibited her art in Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, gives us a peek into the painstaking process of making metal reliefs and sculptures. “I primarily work with copper and brass metal to enhance the texture. I first make primary sketches of the subjects that I want to create. For instance, if I want to make a set of mythological characters, I first sketch them. Then, I take the amount of metal I need and cut it into multiple pieces based on the need. Then it is welded according to the design. The welding process takes 10-20 days. Once I am happy with the form, I smoothen the edges and incorporate an enamel finish,” she explains.
The daughter of Madras Movement stalwart M Senathipathi used to assist her father in making metal reliefs and embossing. Later, she went on to create small pieces of jewellery — a skill that’s now come in handy in making breathtaking enamel-work in sculptures and metal reliefs. Jade green enamel on welded copper; delightful depictions of Ganesha, Krishna and Hanuman with a splash of greens, blues and reds, bird and animal forms, and intriguing tribal masks with a myriad of layers — Hemalatha’s renderings are enchanting.
“Under the tutelage of my father, I learned a lot. With the leftover metal scrap from the artworks he made, I began making my own. He encouraged me to push boundaries and that’s what I did,” she shares. “He used to dabble with a lot of mythological elements and characters in his works. That inspired me to use it in my artwork as well.”
With social media art businesses increasing by the day, the number of people visiting a gallery to buy a piece of art has plummeted. We ask Hemalatha, an artist who comes from a traditional school of art, if she has been able to transcend to the technology-run world. “Not yet. But my friends and even gallery owners have been telling me that more people are buying artwork online now. It’s interesting how the scene has changed, a lot of young artists are using social media in a pragmatic way. I am also thinking of setting up a social media page for my works,” she shares.
(Hemalatha’s works will be on display till September 14 at Art World, Teynampet. For details, call 24338691)