I am

Thought behind the thought

I am ... this, that, many things at the same time. That is what I think I am. And I will make my choices, decide my path and write my own destiny.

And how do I portray myself? If I am a poet, I show my self through words and I use brush strokes if I am a painter! A sculptor though, can portray his self-image through many materials, like these amazing self sculptures done by different artists.

The art

Every material that is used for sculpture making has its own advantages and challenges. Each allows you a totally different form of expression, and one may choose according to the image one wants to create and project.

'Self Portrait by Valery Yevdokimov

Source: http://www.artparks.co.uk/artpark_sculpture.php sculpture=4473&sculptor=valery_yevdokimov 

Cast bronze Sculpture by Burton Blistein

Source: http://www.burtonblistein.com/Sculpture%20by%20Burton%20Blistein%20-%20Self-Portrait%20I.html

"Geometric Self-Portrait" Fall, 1995 life-size plaster cast © G. Hadd

Source: http://www.sculpturebyghadd.com/geometric.htm

Stainless steel Portrait by Martin Debenham

Source: https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/isMm9jBo1gIJ1Q/wire-sculptures-self-portraits

Ash sculpture by Zhang Huan

Source: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ash-head-no-1

Louis Fortier's wax and plaster heads

Source: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/louis-fortier

incomplete

Thought behind the thought
We all strive to achieve perfection. Try to fill in the gaps. Try to take things to their logical conclusion. But isn't it far more exciting to leave things a little incomplete?
A film that ends just before it actually does, leaves a gap that we fill up with our imagination. And each one of us is free to fill it the way we want. So that many stories are created out of the same story! Sentences left unfinished linger on in the mind, with added layers from our imagination. Visits to people and places that are cut short for want of time leave us hoping for more. And completing the scenes with our infinite imagination thinking to ourselves ...." What if ????"

About the Art
The sense of 'incomplete' makes art really exciting! Like these horseman sculptures created by the Beijing based group of the three artists Liu Zhan, Kuang Jun and Tan Tiawei known as Unmask Group.

The Beijing-based group, a creative formation of Liu Zhan, Kuang Jun and Tan Tianwei, masterfully constructs their hollowed, incomplete sculptures out of stainless steel and marble. The almost-abstract figures leave just enough of the sculpture intact to make the solid figure clear. It's the exclusion of certain parts that add a hint of intrigue. There is also an odd oneness to each sculpture that allows the human figures to melt into and meld with the horse's form. It's hard to tell where one entity ends and the other begins.

Credit and Source of information
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/incomplete-sculptures-of-a-man-and-his-horse
http://amazingtechzone.com/art/incomplete-horseman-sculptures-revering-humans-by-beijing-based-artists-2/

value

Thought behind the Thought

What does 'value' mean? We are constantly judging our worth by the impact we make on people's lives with our presence. Whether we are the center of attraction in a group, whether we win a debate, whether people notice us and our work. But that is only half the story!
A person's real value is understood when he/she is absent from the scene. If someone remembers you for your work, if someone pauses for a moment and thinks about you, if someone feels that their day would have been better had you been a part of it ..... that will tell you how valuable your 'being you' is! 
Presence can create an impact, absence creates value!

About the Art 
A fascinating way to express meaning in art is to convey what is 'not there' through what is 'there', right in front of your eyes. Expressing the 'unseen' through the obvious!, like words conveying a deeper meaning in poetry. Like the sculptures below, giving you a hint of what is actually absent from the visual frame!

The Sculpture showing  the artist, with his head tucked into the wall, it's presence highlighted by it's obvious absence!

The hand fully expresses the person, and the action that is actually absent from the scene.

A very effective representation of the force of 'Gravity' that cannot be seen, but is forever present.

"Kaayam", the sculptural 'skins' shed off artistically on the walls. This installation evokes and emphasizes the sense of the body that is actually absent from the sculpture.

A very dynamic sculpture, where the 'angel' emerges from a block of stone and merges into nothingness, by evaporation. An angel that was absent, expressed itself and vanished again!

Alwar Balasubramanium, the creator of these works, is a sculptor, painter, printmaker, and installation artist, currently based in Bangalore, India. His work, which focuses on the body and its material relationship to the world, has been the subject of international acclaim, and has been featured in museums and exhibitions worldwide.

Alwar Balasubramaniam's sculpture plays with time, shape, shadow, perspective: four tricky sensations that can reveal — or conceal — what's really out there.

Do watch the TED talk below fro a glimpse into his mind and thought process.

https://www.ted.com/talks/alwar_balasubramaniam_sculpture_of_substance_and_absence?language=en#t-990790

Alwar Balasubramaniam's work aches to express the overlooked, the invisible, the inexpressible. Quiet white sculptural forms, hung on a wall, unlock philosophical questions as one watches the light pass over them. What is their form, and what is their shadow? What are those mysterious white hands reaching for, around the corner and through the wall?Trained in painting and printmaking, Balasubramaniam has been experimenting with a range of materials (fiberglass, wax, gold) to create sculptural works that bring forth his ideas and his search process. His work is often very tactile, very physical, but it symbolizes an exploration of big questions:what defines the self? what confines us? how do light and shadow shape our view of the world?

“Mr. Balasubramaniam, self-taught as a sculptor, is young, savvy and in the middle of a spurt of growth. It could take him anywhere, but there’s already a lot here.” — Holland Cotter, New York Times(www.ted.com)

Credit and Source of information

www.ted.com, http://ted.tumblr.com/post/80063091142/why-does-alwar-balasubramaniam-create-sculptures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Balasubramaniam#Work
http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag08/dec_08/balasub/balasub.shtml
http://artist.christies.com/A-Balasubramaniam-10592-bio.aspx
http://artasiapacific.com/Magazine/WebExclusives/AlwarBalasubramaniamAlwarBalasubramaniam

transformation

Thought behind the thought
Who would imagine that an egg could fly? But it does, when it transforms into the bird it always was! And so can we. If we only recognize this truth, it will motivate us to take the efforts towards becoming what we really are. It is difficult, and at times frustrating. Most of us give up very easily. Most of us wonder whether the transformation is worth the effort, after all! But if we believe in ourselves, we could overcome this skeptical frame of mind, and transform our shells into wings!

About the art
Eggs can transform in to wonderful pieces of art as well.

 Beautiful egg shell sculptures by Chinese artist Wen Fuliang.

 Egg carving is done using a fine diamond bit on an electric rotary tool. The artist sketches a design on the shell, which has been carefully emptied of the yolk and egg white with a syringe.

Wen Fuliang , of Shaanxi province, was laid off from his job as a wood carver and turned to the unusual and skillful form of art to make ends meet. He uses chicken, goose and duck eggshells to carve out places of interest, such as the iconic Dayan Pagoda in Xi'an.

The video shows how this delicate art takes shape at the hands of a skilled and passionate sculptor.

Credit and source of information
http://www.culturainquieta.com/en/escultura/item/1661-wen-fuliang.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253113/Cracking-good-art-Chinese-man-creates-intricate-sculptures-EGG-SHELLS.html

either / or

Thought behind the thought

Many a times, we stand at crossroads, staring at a seemingly difficult situation. Its either 'this' or 'that'! Tough choice. But it need not be so. So many things are seemingly complex, and if you think comprehensively from a totally different perspective, you discover that we could actually have the best of both worlds. We need not choose between 'this' and 'that'. We can have 'This' and also 'That', both at the same time!

Because things, situations, people, life ......  is always a composite of opposites, as most oriental cultures acknowledge. Be it the Yin-Yang of Chinese philosophy, or the Maya-Bramha of Hindu thought, the fusion of opposites to form a 'Whole' remains a dominant theme.

About The Art

Hindu philosophy is replete with examples of the fusion of two seemingly opposite concepts, the most well known of them being 'Ardha Narishwar' the half-male, half-female form of Lord Shiva.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research

An early Kushan head of Ardhanarishvara, Mathura Museum

http://picasaweb.google.com/injamaven

http://www.shaktisadhana.org/images/Ardhanarishwaripage/adhanari.JPG

Ardhanarishvara (Sanskrit: अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśvara), is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Parvati (also known as Devi, Shakti and Uma in this icon). Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half male and half female, split down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating his traditional attributes.

The earliest Ardhanarishvara images are dated to the Kushan period, starting from the first century BC. Its iconography evolved and was perfected in the Gupta era. ThePuranas and various iconographic treatises write about the mythology and iconography of Ardhanarishvara. While Ardhanarishvara remains a popular iconographic form found in most Shiva temples throughout India, very few temples are dedicated to this deity.

Ardhanarishvara represents the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and illustrates how Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from (or the same as, according to some interpretations) Shiva, the male principle of God. The union of these principles is exalted as the root and womb of all creation. Another view is that Ardhanarishvara is a symbol of Shiva's all-pervasive nature.

relief in stone from elephanta caves, near Mumbai

relief in stone from gangaikonda cholapuram temple

view of the Ardha Narishwar temple, Velapur, Maharashtra, India, built around 1300 A.D

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/51200107

http://ardhanarinateshwar.blogspot.in/

Credits and Source of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardhanarishvara


Do also visit  http://youtu.be/nhmxRyMG3A8 for a mesmerising recital of the Ardha Nari nateshwar stotra by Pandit Jasraj.

pace

Thought behind the thought:

Fast, is one word that we seek most in the modern world? Fast internet, fast food, fast schedules, fast transportation and as a culmination of everything fast results. One such day, while I was at the end of my tether with the ‘slow’ internet speed I was wondering about this self inflicted need for speed. We are so bogged down by the idea of being left behind that we simply push ourselves over the edge in the process to get ahead. At 9:00 am if one were to stand outside any railway, subway or metro station there is an acute possibility that you could be trampled by the exodus of people coming out of the station and trying to get to work on time. At VT station Mumbai one can visually separate Mumbaikars from outsiders just by looking at the pace they are walking at. 

About the art: 

In the early 1900’s the corporate world exploded in America. The movie ‘Revolutionary Road’ depicts very clearly how people started functioning like clockwork and became slaves of routine. The movie explores and tries to find meaning, in the unromanticized life full of drudgery and shows the desperation, to break its shackles. This particular still from the movie reminds you instantly of Kirk Newman’s flying businessman wearing a suit and fedora, holding briefcases in his hand trying to get to work in time.

Fast Paced 29x18

Quick Off the Blocks 22x30

Kirk Newman work spans from 1960-2005 and the artistic exploration began with abstract art and was followed by non-representational sculpture. Whimsy and satire were the central theme of his sculptures and figures of elongated men, distorted and flattened, convey the fast pace of corporate America. The vulnerability of his subjects can be seen as they are often stumbling, taking long strides or falling in desperation to keep time. The wonderful lines of force in the sculpture make his static sculptures almost kinetic. He is a sculptor, printer and draftsman, creating public art and has deep understanding of the anxiety and turbulence in lives of the modern men and women.

Competition 18x7x4

Go 10x12x3.5

Little Merger 23x8x3.5

The medium of this work is mainly metal and some of his work includes, a sculpture of children at play in Bronson Park, his series ‘Children of the World’ is installed in the Children's Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and ‘Words of Humanity’ installed at Sherman Lake YMCA in 2012.

Credits and photos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK-quphmkOw

http://www.waterstreetgallery.com/2015/artists/kirk_newman/kirk_newman.html

http://rednow.com/film/a-chilling-stroll-down-revolutionary-road/