KOCHI: ‘Stone of Luck’... he describes his latest work to be unveiled in Kozhikode on December 17. People also call it ‘Happiness Stone’ and ‘Money Stone’. Jacek Tylicki, born in Sopot, Poland, is settled in New York City and this is the third time he is coming to Kerala during his more than 14 visits to India. The sculpture he is going to unveil here is the fourth in the series, which he has already installed in Dublin, Poland and Goa, said Tylicki, who came to the town on Tuesday. His works are included in ‘Nature Art’ section.
“The stone is 1 cubic metre in size and belongs to the installation art. I want my works to communicate to the viewers, than simply lying idle somewhere. The ‘Stone of Luck’, as I would like to call it, has an engraving on it: ‘Give if You Can; Take if You Have To’ on it. Whenever I have placed this installation, people put money, food and other things into it. Some needy people also take from there. It regularly communicates with the people. The stone taught me many things. There are kind-hearted people also around us. All are not greedy. When you drop in something, you are happy and when you take something also you are happy, because you are cared for,” Tylicki says.
The project is funded by Avigna.org, being run by Udaya Bhanu and Reshma, based in the town. The couple, who had been doing charity, accidentally met Tylicki, who does similar things through his artworks, online and invited him do his work in the city. The sculptor says he was surprised to see a city with so much of sculptures around.
“I expected such a sight in Mumbai, but never Kozhikode. It is amazing to see that a city has come up with a project like ‘City of Sculptures’. The nature of the people of a particular city will be reflected through their attitude towards my work. Some people might donate food. Some might drop some money. Some will be keen to clean it up - neglect, opposition, movement, protest. It might take a hundred or thousand years to derive the meaning out of an illustration. I leave it for the people to conclude the meaning,” he says.
His first visit to India was in 1976 and regularly travelling in and around the country, he says, ‘’I’m in love with India.’’ Tylicki works in the field of Land art, Installation and Site-specific art. His conceptual projects often raise social and environmental issues.
The stone is 1 cubic metre in size and belongs to the installation art. I want my works to communicate to the viewers, than simply lying idle somewhere
lThe sculpture is the fourth in the series, which he has already installed in Dublin, Poland and Goa
lPeople also call it ‘Happiness Stone’ and ‘Money Stone’