As her father hammered with minute precision on metal sheets, young Hemalatha would help hold them in place.
Later, discreetly collecting the discarded pieces of sheet, she would secretly create her own relief artwork. In her late teens, a foreign tourist wanted to buy a Ganesha relief she had made — this propelled her into the world of metal artwork. Daughter of Cholamandalam artist M Senathipathi, Hemalatha went on to develop her own contemporary vocabulary, currently on display at Artworld.
Fluid curves and straight lines share the frames, vibrant in hues of oranges, blues and greens on golden-brown copper bases. What seems at first glance to be a composition of embossed lines and dots on the 7”x7” frame, turns out to be Krishna, playing his flute under a tree.
A big red curve with glittering green triangles in the background is a Hanuman. An unmistakable Christ on the cross in sharp linearity, and an angular Shiva relief, hang next to portrait studies of tribal faces.
“In each frame you will find that the subject is not the only element. The backdrop is as important,” says Hemalatha. “My aim is to bring out emotions through my work. I create scenes which depict affection in couples and families. I also try to capture facial textures in my tribal portraits, and play with geometry in mythological characters and folk dance forms.”
Having made over 500 metal relief works and sculptures in 30 years, Hemalatha’s experiments with the material have come a long way. “When I started out, I used only copper for the entire sculpture. Now I use brass welding to create softer edges and colour contrast,” she explains.
The evolution
Her first sculpture was a peacock, and now her repertoire spans various sizes and form. A three-foot-tall sculpture of a couple on a swing sits next to a Mahishasuramardhini scene replete with bangles and dangling earrings.
The 50-year-old artist explains her process, “Both sides of the copper sheet have to be worked on. After fixing the sheet to heated arrak (resin), I do the hammering and embossing and then work on the other side. With the care required for refixing and cleaning, it is a laborious process. Producing five or six pieces of relief work or sculpture takes me three months.”
Her latest experiment is with 3D sculptures. On display at the exhibition are an ornate bull and an abstract spiral sculpture depicting fish. “The 3D sculptures take longer and involve a different level of difficulty altogether.” she admits. “Back in my father’s day, the market demanded large pieces. These days, the most popular ones are the miniature sculptures. I do both as I find the large ones artistically satisfying.”
Hemalatha participates in group shows across the country through the year while solo shows occur in intervals of three or four years. In 1991, she was awarded the Tamil Nadu State Award by the Lalit Kala Akademi for three of her works.
Having seen the market for art evolve, Hemalatha feels that there has been a dip in the number of people visiting galleries as buying art online has become a fad. “But I continue to exhibit my work in galleries — both in group shows and solos. I love that I can interact with my audience and talk about my process with them,” she says with a wide smile.
The 60 pieces on display light up the gallery with a faint glow. And before exiting, you cannot help but run your hands over the painstakingly twisted copper waves of the tribal man’s beard one more time.
Metal Aesthetics is on at Artworld - Sarala’s Art Centre till September 14 from 11 am to 6 pm. Hemalatha will be present at the venue. For details, contact 24338691.
