Thursday 4 July 2013

"Of Sounds and Silences".........



Of Sounds and Silences… 

Curatorial note by Deepa Subramanian:

He was nine when he first held a copper sheet in his hands while his famous uncle P.V.Janakiram carved out the forms of his iconic works. Instantly, the chisel and hammer became his best friends.

Hailing from the rich native roots of Tamilnadu, Raviram’s inherent style was imbibed from the southern architecture, with its surfaces decorated with narrative stone reliefs, iconic sculptures, and ornamental metal reliefs. His traditional inspiration was the consequence of his cultural heritage.

Raviram can be best described as an endearing package..
Success and a great spirit of adventure.. His versatility and willingness to open up to new experiences is what has made him a sculptor with a difference.

For him, it was a fundamental way to express and to articulate his individual needs.

Raviram’s technique of combining repousse with applique, welding wires and cables to the surface of the metal in playful combination and juxtaposition, is indeed a fascinating craft. The work consists of interesting and unusual shapes and forms which culminate in a stunning pictorial relief creating an illusion of a greater space. The ease with which he applies techniques such as overlapping, ladder and linear perspective, where the surface of the metal is diligently and ingeniously built up to produce a stunning pattern and artistry, is visually breathtaking.

Not many brave the gossamer line that divides the quintessential artist and the traditional arena that was once the domain of a craftsman. If done in its true spirit however, it privileges the craft to define a new trajectory within the realms of modern art culture.

The sculptor’s works entails qualities akin to the traditional work of coppersmiths and icon-makers. This affinity reverberates in the use of different materials, in the formal qualities of its dominant linearity effecting a rhythmic pulse and distinctive patterning.

Raviram’s unique “Savoir- faire” in copper art creations truly transcends sounds and silences…intense and submerged as only copper can be.



"Of Sounds and Silences" Solo Show of Copper Sculptures by Raviram Ramakrishnan
On Thursday 18th July 2013 at 7 pm
Venus at

Galerie De'Arts , 11th Flr, Barton Centre, 84 MG Road, Bangalore 560002


About the Show:

A unique and spectacular display of copper sculptures and installations by young artist Raviram Ramakrishnan from Chennai.

Raviram’s extraordinary ability to create magic with his hands makes up for his inability to speak or hear by birth..

The talented artist instantly charms one and all into his endearing personality , one of the many reasons for his immense success.

The highlights of the exhibits are the the journey of the two Saruscranes where two spectacular cranes in copper and brass and an overpowering creation of the tragedy that Tsunami brings on to this earth, a spider’s web hanging on the ceiling with a knife and a grand metal work of two girls swaying in the swing suspended from the sides of the walls.. Kalinganarthana, Arthanareeshwara and Christ head are other noteworthy works.

Friday 7 June 2013

Raviram may not be able to express his thoughts in words, but he brings them alive on welded copper sheet and brass sheet and wires have a classic touch about them and bring to life the various deities and animal and insect and fish and bird figures he sculpts. Special mention must be made of his recent foray into almost three dimensional sheet sculptures which have a very strong original quality about them.


Born in Chennai in 1973, Self-Taught Copper n Brass sheet Sculptor, Trained and worked under his uncle Late Sri P.V.Janakiraman who attained considerable eminence as Sculptor. Raviram has been working in this field for the past 18 years.
He forgets the hours as he works on the sheets of copper, twisting and shaping the metal until it is transformed into the image he has been harboring in his mind. After all Raviram is the nephew of the late sculptor P.V.Janakiraman, better know for his works in contemporary Indian sculpture.

Combining a love of craft and mythological legacy sculptor Raviram brings religious allegories in his creations. Still in his 40’s, he is among intriguing and potentially significant artists emerge in last decade from southern India.

Raviram seeks to investigate and explicit and the relationship between his emotions and the medium of communication he employs. In the process, he may disfigure or mutilate the icons of Hindu mythology. But he replaces aspects of experience that are significant in themselves and relate to aesthetic sensibility.
His reposed and metal caste forms shows, which is very reminiscent of his uncle Janakiraman, but overall his meticulous craftsmanship. He is a perfectionist in media and his works do not set out to prove or state of any thing. They have nothing to do with intellectuality of any kind. They are only a means of receiving emotions.

These directional forms with their variety of relief textures seems to convey some essential fullness, a subtle musical feeling creating a meditative mood. These bold representations of anthropomorphic figuration that archives the character of icons. Their presentation bear the look of deities or incarnations with their details and specification. Through their elaborately crafted frontality Raviram lends an apparent indigenous character to his sculpture.

One of the main concerns of the young artist in India today is to integrate his western experience gathered via the media, travel, life-style etc with his formidable and ancient fast. V.R.Raviram is one such young sculptor.

Above all Raviram is a person who hears with his mind and speaks through his hands.

Ardhanareeawara (Shiv Parvati in one body)
Copper Oxidized Welded
18x12x6 inches in 2013
Bust Female ll 
Copper Oxidized Welded 
11x7x4 inches in 2012
Butterflies sitting on leaf
Copper Oxidized Welded
9x18x16 inches in 2013
Cow and Calf 
Copper Oxidized Welded 
16.5x13x5.5 inches in 2013
Dasavadhra Perumal
Copper oxidized welded
18.5x14x5 inches in 2012
Ganesha on Feather 
Copper Oxidized Welded 
17x17x5 inches in 2012
Kalinga Narthana ll (Swagtham Krishna)
Copper Oxidized Welded
15x14x5.5 inches in 2013
Lord Shiva-Dance of bliss 
Copper Oxidized Welded 
18x14.5x5.5 inches in 2013
Ranganathan lV
Copper Oxidized Welded
20x13x7 inches in 2013
Veera Anjaneyar 
Copper oxidized welded 
12.5x9.5x5 inches in 2010