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Pulp fiction
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Painter Ravikumar Kashi will travel to Santa Fe International Art Fair with his paper sculptures
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SCULPTING PAPER Artist Ravikumar Kashi loves the tactile quality of paper
There are a lot of artists who work on paper, but there are very few who sculpt with it. Ravikumar Kashi belongs to the latter category. Kashi’s two sculptures “Books” and “Armour” will be showcased in Santa Fe Internati
onal Art Fair in USA, in July. He will representBangalore’s Sumukha Gallery. His love affair with paper started at the Glasgow School of Art in 2001 and has been making sculptures with pulp ever since. But this is the first time he has attempted a sculpture of this size.
The sculpture “Books” is a set of 30 books cast in paper pulp with text and images, while the other is a soldier’s armour. Kashi makes his own paper pulp and then puts the semi-solid pulp into the plaster of Paris mould. Once it dries, he transfers the images on the book through a chemical process. Each book has a theme: Repent, Truth, Never Hide, Karma and more . “There is a concept of ‘chakradrishti’ just like management concept 360 degree in which you look at a concept from various angles without being judgemental. This work shows how the mind wanders, based on the chakradrishti concept. It is not linear,” explains Kashi.
One of the books has “Keep the distance” as its theme. Through various images taken from Internet, advertisements, newspapers and clip art and texts around them, the artist has tried to bring in different interpretations. “Nimboo-mirchi image here refers to the distance that people want to keep from evil by hanging a charm at the entrance of their homes.”
The sculpture evokes a feeling of reading someone’s diary. The book of “Karma” has a diagram of mother whereas “Truth” has a reference to “a meditative maze in front of a church in San Fransisco” while “Repent” with a drawing of Christ carrying the cross to Mount Golgotha where he was crucified. And there is texts scribbled in Kannada and English randomly, giving it a personal feel. The “Armour” sculpture is a take on war and violence and terrorism.
But when and how does an artist decide on a particular medium to express himself? “Painting has a different language. The medium of paper is personal and it allows you freedom. You also associate paper with writing which is why I chose to do paper sculptures,” says Kashi, drawn to the tactile quality of paper. Kashi has used cotton rags pulp for books’ as it is strong and white, whereas the material used to create the armour set has an ancient quality.
Kashi has made pulp from cotton, banana fibres, straw, jute and arecanut leaves. He has exhibited his paper sculptures across the world. Though the art scene has matured, does this kind of art find buyers? “I would be happy if someone buys it, and I know it is not the regular stuff. Showcasing in fairs like these where people come in large numbers helps in promoting art.”
SHAILAJA TRIPATHI TANEJA
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