A sculptor's poetic expression in bronze

A retrospective of K.S.Radhakrishnan's practice offers a glimpse of his fivedecade-long journey

- Abhilasha Ojha

While browsing through the exhibition On The Open Road at Delhi's Bikaner House, W you feel profoundly impacted by the sculptures on display. There is a meditative quality to them-a fluidity-that acts like an antidote to the harshness of the world outside. These works are part of the first-ever retrospective of artist Kanjirappally Sriman Radhakrishnan, or K.S. Radhakrishnan as he is popularly known. Presented by Delhi-based Gallerie Nvya, the show doesn't just trace the five-decade long artistic practice of Radhakrishnan, 68, but also connects the dots between the sculptor and the various people who inspired this journey-for instance, his muse, a Santhal boy Musui, teachers Sarbari Roy Choudhury, Ramkinkar Baij, Somnath Hore, all of whom taught him the intricacies of art in Santiniketan, West Bengal, and friends such as art scholar, curator and historian R. Siva Kumar.

The exhibition features some of Radhakrishnan's earliest sketches, paintings, woodcuts and sculptures. "I was an introvert. In retrospect, I feel that's the reason why my initial sculptures have closed hands," he says. The retrospective allows the artist to look back at his work and view it through different lenses. According to Siva Kumar, who has curated On The Open Road, it is significant as it looks at a "rare tribe" of sculptors who continue to work in bronze. The two have known each other since the mid-1970s. "We arrived together at Santiniketan to study art. It was at the railway platform that we realised that we both hailed from Kerala," says Radhakrishnan. "That's how our friendship started and continues even today." The level of camaraderie that the two share adds another layer to the exhibition, with Siva Kumar able to offer a keen insight into the artist's mind.