In Search Of The Perfect Image: G. Ravinder Reddy’s Monumental Heads And Reliefs Anchor Gallery Sumukha’s 30th Anniversary

Ravinder Reddy (RR): The perfect image keeps changing as one grows. One's perception grows, one takes into account so many facts, because as you grow, your perception changes, your mental intellect changes — because every day you see different things, you interact with different things, and you realise potentials, you realise weaknesses, you realise the various aspects involved. So every day is a learning day for me. At night, when I rest, I think about it — I feel, okay, I should have done this much, I think I missed out here. So then the next day becomes, again, a fresh beginning — again, a search for perfection. So perfection is not a limited word. It is always expanding.

RR: There are a couple of issues involved, because in India we had a very strong tradition of relief-making. If you see it in the temples — there are ornamental pieces, there are gods and goddesses depicted, there is storytelling in relief. But somehow we lost that narrative in the contemporary world. I've been involved mostly in making three-dimensional work, and occasionally I did some two-dimensional relief work. But lately — just in the last year, year and a half — I've been preoccupied with more wall-mounted reliefs. It's a different dimension, and at the same time, it's for people who don't have the space to accommodate sculpture in the round — they can enjoy it in relief. Also, people have started looking at relief as an important art form in its own right. In these reliefs, I try to extend what I've done in sculpture — more or less similar things, but a different perspective: how you compress and expand within a relief.

RR: Material always plays an important role, because through the material you put forward your thoughts and ideas. You pick a material that is suited to your thoughts and ideas. Fortunately, polyester resin can take any shape, any form, and it has durability and strength once fibre is added to it. You can add any number of colours to it, because it's entirely a man-made material, not one provided by nature. So I chose this material because it has a wide range of applications, and it suits me — I don't have to depend on many people for casting, finishing, and so on. It can be managed single-handedly.

RR: The present generation has tremendous knowledge of the past and the present, because of the internet and digital media — they're very well aware of it. Many of them are choosing to keep their national identity while also wanting to expand into the international arena. It's a challenge every artist grapples with — how to reconcile these things. As for me, I'm not looking at the international scene particularly. I'm looking at an image that can sustain for hundreds of years. I'm not looking for "the best of Indian" art specifically — of course I look for inspiration in our folk, tribal, and primitive art forms, but I also look at Egyptian or Mexican art and ask why their art forms stand out. What are the good qualities I can take from them and absorb into my work? I don't hesitate to borrow from different cultures, as long as the image becomes stronger and can stay alive for a longer period of time.

RR: First of all, it should contain a universal image and a universal thought — something people from all continents can share. And that thought can only be shared when the work — whether it's a figure or a decorative object, whatever it is — is supreme. It should transcend all religious and territorial boundaries. Only then can it endure across time.

RR: Ideally, I like my audience to look at the work the way they look at their neighbours. If they want to elevate it to a higher status, or identify it with gods and goddesses, that comes from their own knowledge and perception, which leads them to identify with different aspects. I'm simply providing an image to them, and they enrich it through their own participation.

RR: For contemporary Indian art and culture to be explored and practised to its full potential, the government should come forward, and industry should come forward — the way China supports its contemporary artists to explore new levels of imagination. This should happen especially for sculpture, which requires factory-level, industrial support to execute large-scale works for public spaces. We have a lot of space, but it doesn't have art in it. If we create big sculpture parks and large-scale sculptures in different cities, it will have its own social impact. India is now at the right point, where industries are coming up, businesses are growing, and there's more wealth being created. If they contribute to this, I'm sure the younger generation of Indian artists will excel in their imagination and output, and we'll be on par with the rest of the world.

RR: Within India — I'd say Hampi is a living archaeological site, a living museum, where one can learn a great deal. If one travels in South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Karnataka — the Meenakshi Temple, for instance — so much of our past culture is preserved there and can be seen. There's the National Museum in Delhi, which is equally good, and also the Patna Museum in Bihar. That's within our own country. Of course, worldwide, people know the Louvre, the British Museum, the Met, and MoMA in New York. I'm only pointing out how much is available within India.