To the conservatives in Kerala, Kanayi Kunhiraman’s sculpture, Yakshi was a rude wake-up call in 1969. His anti-establishment approach while creating a resplendent gargantuan structure of a nude woman on a sprawling park near Malampuzha Dam, Palakkad, soon received the ire of many people. The path-breaking work, which closely adhered to a symmetrical structure on the emotional planes, created asymmetrical waves. The artist was unveiling before the public a sample of sculptures that were confined to temples and palaces till then. “The sculpture was meant to create an awareness on the art of sculpting among the masses. Only when the context changed, from temples to nature, did people see obscenity in it. A change happened with Yakshi becoming a noted landmark in Malampuzha,” says Kanayi, who rolled up his sleeves to create Yakshi as per the advice of his teacher and noted painter KCS Paniker.
This was just the beginning. Later from his magic wand were born Sagarakanyaka, Mannamma, Aattam and Silpakavyam — all female structures. On any medium, be it stone, metal, wood, concrete or sand, this veteran artist has proved himself noteworthy.
The turning point for Kanayi, a boy born in a village in Kasargode district of Kerala, was a life-size cut out of Jawaharlal Nehru he made for a district-level meeting of a tailor’s association in 1956. Kanayi was a high school student then. After the meeting, the five-and-a-half feet tall structure was displayed before a textile shop in Cheruvathur. Nehru, who was the prime minister at that time, happened to see it. Kanayi was showered with praises and advises to leave the place and attain great heights in art, which was what he exactly did.
Kanayi studied at Madras College of Arts and Craft. He got a Commonwealth Scholarship to study at London’s Slade School of Fine Art.
After pursuing his higher education in sculpting from London, Kanayi returned home. “I realised I could contribute much to a state where sculpting was not developed at all. I am proud that I could build up an art form here,” he says. Kanayi has been hugely influenced by Reg Butler, a pioneer in welded sculptures and Kanayi’s teacher at Slade. In 1957, Kanayi created the first welded sculpture of a bird in south India. He has also made a sea change in the award concept by setting up statuettes instead of mementos.
Kanayi has been a teacher. He also served as chairman of Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi, member of The Lalit Kala Akademi, South Zone Cultural Centre (Thanjavur) and project consultant with tourism department. He has won a number of awards including the Akademi award for painting and Raja Ravi Varma award in 2005.
Kanayi has proved his adroitness in painting and poetry too. The childhood memories of ritualistic art forms Theyyam and Thira influence his brush strokes. “Only on an independent art form can these influences be reflected,” says the man who seeks freedom through art. He also identifies that words provide many times the freedom which he intends to achieve through poetry. He published a collection of his poems, Kanayiyude Kavitha in 2010. “Things that are not possible in sculpting and painting can be expressed through poetry. Through poetry an elaborate universe can be drawn in few lines, which on art may take time,” says Kanayi, who is readying to publish his second poetical work.
— meera.manu@newindianexpress.com