Ravikumar Kashi is pushing perceptions, extending the boundaries of his art and experimenting with mediums. The contemporary artist in his own right has come up with works based on keen observation of human nature and the complex transformation that’s taking place in the Indian society. Kashi’s month-long show Silent Echo at Gallery Sumukha in Bengaluru demonstrates his creativity and ability to communicate with his audience through a medium that is not so common.
The 48-year-old Kashi has created a new body of work revolving around a variety of objects. And it took him two years to prepare for this unique show.
“Objects have always been my subject of interest. For example, the objects that are displayed in a showcase in one’s home actually reflect one’s personality. If you have travelled around the world and collected objects, and displayed them in your home, it shows not only your interest but also your knowledge about history or archaeology,” says Kashi, whose installations and artist books will be on display till December 30.
There are five distinct but interrelated pieces of work in the show highlighting the character, historicity, function, and relevance of diverse objects that the artist has chosen to build his narratives around.
The main work, Silent Echo from which the show draws its name, is a sculptural installation. The 15x15 feet boat made out of paper pulp and metal mesh—the largest installation in the show—took him nearly seven months to make. It evokes many metaphors of our time where hope and despair ride side by side.
“Through my objects, I connect with issues,” explains Kashi. “Most of my works are poetical metaphors and when the viewers see them, they get involved, which expands the meaning of my art works. Usually I work on these pieces by writing the ideas in my diary and then develop them at a later stage.”
The show has many objects that have been catching attention of art lovers who are used to seeing landscapes or portraits in art galleries. Some objects depict the present scenario in Bengaluru while others speak about the prevailing political system where policies are based on business interests.
Kashi, who has done 16 solo shows in Bengaluru, Shanghai, Paulo Alto and London, says, “Each of my art object has a meaning of its own but when combined with another object, the meaning changes.”
The artist is as comfortable with hand-crafted objects as with photographed, drawn or ready-made ones. Apart from installations, artist books that are rarely seen or heard about are a part of this show. Through this medium, an artist creates books predominantly with visuals, and not so much with words, thereby
defying the commonly-held notion of a book.
The artist, who is among the few artists who are into artist books in India, says, “These are self-contained books with their own narrative. They do not use the sequential form of narrative. Each book takes me about 12-14 days to make, two days for casting, 10 days for drying and a few hours for drawing the sketches. To make the book look old, the white paper is stained with tea decoction while the paper itself is made out of recycled cotton fibre.”
An associate professor at CMR University School of Architecture in Bengaluru, Kashi also does photo books that have a complex narrative. Two sets of such works stand out in this show. The first comprises four individual photographs called Memorial and the second is Shelf Life.
Starting with paintings, mostly canvas, drawings in his initial days as an artist, he progressed to sculptures, made out of paper or metal mesh, and finally to assemblage, installations as well as artist books, photo books and altered books. In altered books, satirical dialogues are introduced, puncturing the existing ones; it is a counter to the original book.
Kashi says, “I have developed my own language in the past 25 years. Teaching art has provided me an opportunity to experiment. The repercussions of globalisation and identity crisis is reflected in my art works.”