After a gap of eight years, P.R. Daroz is back with a body of ceramic work which shows why he is called a master craftsman in the field.
The artist whose creative wizardry and sustained efforts to push the medium beyond the traditional framework helped create a niche space for ceramic arthas again come up with a collection showing endless possibilities with the medium of clay.
“After working for 40 years with the medium of clay, I am naughtily saying, “I Am Clay”. You have to be tender enough to understand its softness and then work with it, whether you are lifting it, moulding it or storing it. It's not dead, it's alive. Just like human bodies, it also has so much water in it,” says the diminutive 66-year-old artist explaining the title of the show “I Am Clay.”
The veteran sculptor has moulded delicate clay into delightful pieces that have taken after various aspects of human lives.
‘Seabed' comprises 20 ceramic squares which bear the impression of underwater flora and fauna. In rough texture, fashioned in white and sea blue, the sculpture mounted on the wall transports you into the world of corals, vegetation and sea rocks. He is now working on a bigger format of ‘Seabed' for a private buyer.
“I am digesting everything I see. What I create is not out of compulsion but with a desire to say something,” says Daroz, showing his aerial landscapes. “People, be it a child, adult or from any age group, it should attract anybody to come near it and soak in its flavour. It should give them joy,” says the artist who, At J. Swaminathan's invitation, began a ceramics course in Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal and has to his credit a number of murals for corporate spaces.
Sculptural installations
‘Unending Rhythms' has two sculptural installations of blocks which create the impression of musical notes. Though both are created out of porcelain, one white block is given a finish which makes it look like marble, whereas the other in matt bronze has a stoneware finish.
“For the light, (a light fixture on the base of the piece), I was inspired by Qutub Minar. I am looking for new aesthetics, new way of saying things. But ultimately, it is the thought that counts,” says Daroz, referring to his journey from creating traditional pots, animal figurines to abstract ceramic sculpture and installations.
And even though wheel work has its limitations, he still loves the technique and uses it too.
In one instance, Daroz has made traditional plates on the wheel but, again giving the form a twist, fixed them in square frames.
His ‘Fired Canvas' series has paintings on clay. Working with a mélange of blue, orange, gold and green glazes, he has created complex patterns and designs.
“The same flame can give you beautiful colours and the same flame can destroy it. One has to understand fire and heat to get the desired result, and this comes with experience. You have to fire not with hands but with the mind,” says the artist.
(The show will be on all through the Commonwealth Games 2010 at Art Alive Gallery, Panchsheel Park)
