Evocative curves, inspired contours
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Udaya Vir Singh's sculptures speak of considerable talent, bold style, and meticulous craftsmanship
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STIMULATING The motifs presented in Udaya Vir Singh's works were varied and full of life
"Udaya Vir Singh is a young, contemporary sculptor who is on the threshold of exploring multiple ways of representation," says Suresh Jayaram, artist and art historian. "He works with polarities of sculpture and installation, permanence and ephemeral, urban and rural. His skills represent the sensuous and tactile. His concerns are metaphorical, absurd and at times, poetic."
Exploring new dimensions
Born in Badarpur (UP), Vir Singh studied at the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bangalore, before enrolling at the School of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. Curiously, he chose painting and not sculpture for his study and completed both BFA (2000-01) and MFA (2002-03) at CKP. "Although deeply involved in painting and sketching," confesses Vir Singh, "I was slowly getting suffocated in what I did. It was then I decided to explore the three-dimensional medium. Also, being an outdoor person, I enjoyed observing natural landscape and playing with different kinds of material to give life to my ideas."
He gratefully reminisces his alma mater who "encouraged me paint in the day and sculpt in the evenings." Participation in several art camps and workshops provided good exposure and helped him secure a firm grip on the medium. He particularly recalls a site-specific workshop at Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh, where he and his friend interpreted and reinvigorated a simple home-game played by tribals in the area. Last year, he participated in a stone-carving workshop in Bangalore, and an international sculptors' workshop at the Valley School, with encouraging results.
Vir Singh's exhibition, Multiplicity of Expression, which concluded recently at Chitrakala Parishat, provided evidence of the young sculptor's considerable talent, bold style, and meticulous craftsmanship. Sustained by qualities of vitality and spontaneity, the motifs presented in his works were varied and full of life. A particular piece sculpted in wood was noteworthy for its narrative sense and presented an intriguing assortment of ears in different shapes and sizes. In yet another wooden sculpture, Vir Singh carved the curves and contours to induce a sensual feel.
Stone sculptures
A set of five small stone sculptures bore no anecdotal or narrative purpose, but minimally evoked relationships through a combination of line, colour, form and texture. Contrasting the form and weightlessness of the commonly seen rubber balloons with the weightiness of stone, Vir Singh's playfulness came alive in another set of five stimulating sculptures.
The piece de resistance of the exhibition was a mammoth `nest' created with a deep and personal understanding of the subject. Remarkable in its aspirations, and made entirely using fallen twigs, this work integrated characteristics of innovation, simplicity and sophisticated rendering. Works such as the `nest' exemplified Vir Singh's adventurous approach and attitude, and were a sheer delight to watch. They also made one look forward to even more mature works from this 27-year old sculptor, in future.
ATHREYA
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