Kochi: A group of art students from Tamil Nadu drew inspiration from the iconic ‘Triumph of Labour’ statue at Chennai’s Marina Beach to create their own series of installations for the ongoing Students’ Biennale, running parallel to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
The statue in Chennai was created by sculptor Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, then head of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts, in 1959 in the backdrop of the first May Day rally in India held on the beach. He used the watchman of the college and his students to model for the monumental piece of work that depicts four men labouring to move a rock. Multiple interpretations of the sculpture created by the students are now on display at Anubhuti Gallery in Mattancherry, one of the venues of the Students’ Biennale.
“The idea behind these installations originated from an enigma,” says C.P. Krishnapriya, who curated the show.
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The Madras School of Fine Arts and Crafts, which is now Tamil Nadu Government College of Fine Arts, has an old museum which has been closed for decades. “Several stories and speculations were attached to this museum,” says Krishnapriya. “Thinking about the different kinds of creative expressions that could go to fill the mystery gave rise to the idea for the statues,” she says.
As many as 17 students from the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, and 18 from the Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam, worked for the project. “Most students had experience working with the handicraft sector. This experience with the cottage craft industry must have helped them relate to this project,” says Krishnapriya.
From labourers in uniforms to sweat drops collected in bottles, the installations portray diverse creative expressions. The symbols of weaving, coconut weaving, brick making have all made this project an enriching experience.
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