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Intriguing aesthetics

Sudarshan Shetty's work is a bit out-of-the-box and yet exhibits control

FULL OF SURPRISES The artist takes objects apart without dismantling them, decoding them by revealing their mechanical being

An alumnus of Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai (1980-85), Mangalore-born Sudarshan Shetty has participated in several solo and group shows in India and abroad since the early 1980s. Winner of the prestigious Charles Wallace India Award in 1999, the avant-garde conceptual artist is currently presenting Eight Corners of The World, a one-man exhibition in the city.

"The show's objects are loosely set in a domestic scene filled with surprise. Sudarshan Shetty's object-assemblages forces juxtapositions of furniture and fluidity exposing those conditions of circulation that make animate bodies tick, make time flow and make movement possible. Eight Corners of The World remains connected to Sudarshan Shetty's enduring fascination with the dark underbelly of the object-human relation, where the dual conceits of the free will of persons and the inertness of things are visually exploded."

Mechanical devices

In his works, Sudarshan Shetty accompanies mechanical devices — which often bear robot-like appearance and occupation — with glass containers, aluminium tub, electric motor, fibre glass, steel and wooden bits and pieces. He also uses such varied, odd and even bizarre objects as prosthetic palms, dentures, brass udders, and dog skeleton to create a playful, haunting and surreal effect. The best pieces exhibit an admirable command and control of the artist in both thought and process.

One of the interesting pieces of the exhibition shows a mini "waterfall" inside a well-polished, glass-framed, wooden antique showcase that is full of seemingly fragile glass containers. The usual sight and sound of falling water through the different compartments of the showcase immediately prompt a sense of awe and disbelief. A similar wonderment awaits the viewer as s/he sees a hammer striking the brass udder fitted to the ceiling. In another appealing work, a pair of wooden shoes split right in the middle moves to and fro in an incredulous monotony. The dog skeleton mounted on a wooden table fitted with an electric motor and wheels is yet another intriguing piece.

The other works on display — like the moving light casting its glow on a piece of bone, prosthetic palms and dentures fixed to the ends of steel and aluminium pipes and the fibre glass sofa with tinted water falling over it seem either vague or overdone in design and execution.

The exhibition concludes on February 20 at Galleryske, St. Mark's Road.

For more on the show, call 56951972.

ATHREYA

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