A man of different mediums

Balan Nambiar speaks candidly about public art and art education in the country

Six decades of Balan Nambiar’s artistic life unfolds at the mammoth retrospective at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA). And a life dotted with changing phases and diverse mediums isn’t easy to absorb. Curator Sadanand Menon has chosen seminal works done during different periods of his career to weave a powerful narrative. While some of them have been seen like his stainless-steel sculptures, watercolours, enamels and oil paintings, sketches, it is the first time, the senior artist is showing his photographs. For years, he has been researching on 27 different ritual arts of Kerala and Tulu Nadu and made about 12,000 images. Also, for some, his delicate enamels would be a novelty. I ask him if the enamels and unbreakable sculptures have a connection with his life and he says, “Yes, I am very quiet and polite otherwise but when it comes to dealing with administration, I am very tough and this duality comes across.” In an e-mail interview, the artist opens up on his art in detail. Edited excerpts

How significant is this retrospective at this juncture of your life? As all your works done in different phases and in different mediums, come under one roof, what feeling does it evoke in you?

It is an overwhelming experience to see all works displayed together in one exhibition. Normally, sketching is an on going process throughout my career. But, using a medium is normally done in phases.

For instance when I do paintings, the painting session continues for a period; similarly when I do sculpture, I do a series of sculptures for some months; if I do enamel paintings, that will continue for some months. As far as academic research is concerned, it is more strenuous, I take more time to write a research paper than making a couple of sculptures. The satisfaction of the retrospective is that I could show a consolidated body of works to the public. For the public many works are new, I know it. Also, I want to show the professional standard of curation.

Any works exhibited after a long time?

Many of earlier drawings, paintings and mild steel sculptures have never been exhibited. So are some of the recent stainless steel sculptures. In none of my previous exhibitions, have I exhibited more than 30 enamel paintings. In this retrospective there are 70 enamel paintings.

Shell art One of the highlights of the exhibition is Valampiri Shankha done in stainless steel. When invited by Texas Instruments in 2000 to do a sculpture depicting Digital Signal Processing, Nambiar thought the motif of Valampiri Shankha would fit the bill. He chose 304 grade stainless steel to recreate the concept of a Valampiri Shankha. The size of the conch is 80 cm wide and 129.44 cm high which is the proportion of a golden ratio - 1:1.618. The spiral of the conch is equi-angular. Its spiral can be determined either by analytical methods or by elementary geometry. Valampiri Shankha or the Dakhsinavarthy Shanka is blown during important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist rituals. Considered sacred, when blown its sound can be likened to a perfect chanting of “Aum”. Also, a fully-evolved Valampiri Shankha is said to have the proportion of golden ratio. For centuries architects and artists like Salvador Dali, Leonardo da Vinci, Mondrian, have used this formula to create masterpieces.

You have done extensive research on ritual arts of Kerala which has also inspired lot of your work. The exhibition features your photographs of Theyyam and Bhuta for the first time. Why did you not show them earlier?

It happened that way. There are 42 photos in the exhibition. I might have published over 600 photos in journals, including foreign ones.

Since many of your works are in public spaces, what do you think of the discourse around it? You have also lost a few sculptures to apathy and vandalism.

There is no law to protect works of art in public spaces in India. I have been raising this issue for many years. Apathy of the decision makers, both bureaucrats and politicians, is the reason for the situation.

Custodial death One of my three-metre-high steel sculpture (about five metres including its granite pedestal) was installed on a traffic island where three important roads met, by the Rotary Club of Bangalore, which maintained it, too. It had become a landmark for over 18 years until, one day, post midnight and out of the blue, the entire island, including the sculpture, was bulldozed by the local traffic police. The heavy steel sculpture and equally heavy pink granite pedestal, inscribed with the names of the Rotary Club of Bangalore and mine, was broken into pieces and dumped at some unknown location. I wrote to the Commissioner of Police in protest, releasing the letter to the press. When the newspapers wrote about the incident, the Commissioner of Police sent officers to my residence to apologise for their mistake, but I still have no clue about the whereabouts of my work. My sculpture has met with custodial death at the hands of Bangalore Police.

What do you think of art schools and art education in India?

Pathetic, indifferent, neglected. The reason why art education is neglected is because none of the decision makers at the top level of administration had a chance to play with colours when they were young.

(The exhibition, “Sculpting in Time” is on at NGMA, 1 Palace Road, till March 3)