At a time when all the others of his generation are turning away from their family’s traditional profession of pottery, 25-year-old Siva Krishna stands as a glimmer of hope.
Hailing from a family of potters, Siva Krishna could have followed the others of his generation to take up other lucrative sources of income. But he chose to support the pottery profession through art.
A post graduate in Fine Arts from Hyderabad University, Siva is not only striving to make a mark as a sculptor while working on mediums like terracotta, he also bagged a gold medal in his MFA course this year.
What makes him still hold on to a dwindling age-old profession? “As a child I was fascinated by the whirling potter’s wheel. But only after I learnt the various techniques of fine arts in my professional course and worked in different mediums, I realised how difficult and artistic pottery is. I want to depict this dying form through my works,” says Siva. Today, in his colony, what is conspicuously absent is the presence of youth behind the potter’s wheel.
The young artist, who works as an art teacher in Hyderabad, feels that the art of pottery is valued much more in bigger cities, where there is a market for it. “The problem is that traditional potters are not trained or tuned to adjust to the needs of the times. Creativity and marketing channels are missing,” says Siva. He completed his BFA from Andhra University during which he gave a demo of pottery-making in the department. After moving to Hyderabad, he continued to work on the medium of terracotta while specialising in sculpture in his PG course. “I understand the techniques of pottery as it is a medium I relate to. It has given me my identity and I want to cherish that through my works,” he adds. His exposure in the art field helped him learn the improvisations in pottery. “Exchange of ideas and mentoring by senior and noted artists gave me a different understanding of the medium. My aim is to carry on the pottery tradition through my art works,” he adds.
