An Andhra-based artist uses kitchen knives, swords and nails to create crocodile and quill installations that explore human relationships and conflict
Inner Eye. Pics courtesy/Lakshman Rao Kotturu, Sakshi Gallery
If you visit Sakshi Gallery tomorrow evening, you'll spot an intriguing sculpture of an elephant's head affixed to a crocodile's tail, both attached to a brass plate. Look closer and you'll find that the pachyderm has been created with delicate copper wire, while kitchen knives make up the tail.
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Titled Inner Eye, the work is part of Andhra-based artist Lakshman Rao Kotturu's debut solo, Footprints on a Broken Mirror. "The sculpture is inspired by the tale of Gajendra Moksh, about the conflict between Gajendra [the elephant] and Makara [the crocodile]. The work highlights that despite being nurtured by the same forest, all animals have different natures, and these can become the cause for antagonism between them. Humans, too, are similar in essence," explains the 30-year-old, who received a BFA degree in sculpture from Andhra University followed by masters in visual arts from MS University.
A mixed media work
The array of works features a number of daily objects and motifs from the animal kingdom, which are disassociated from their original context and placed in altered spaces. For instance, a knife, a pair of scissors and wood are used to design a quill, which suggests that words are often sharper than swords. "We associate a certain object with a purpose or an animal with a tendency. A knife or blade often evoke a tinge of fear even when they are posing no threat. Placing them in altered spaces is an attempt to broaden the scope of their meanings, which becomes a process of meditation and regeneration for me," reasons the artist, who has also used nails, swords, axe, pins, fibreglass and GI rods in his works.
Lakshman Rao Kotturu
He has used animals as a metaphor for the power structure dynamic of human relationships. For instance, a crocodile, made with nails, depicts the barbaric tendencies of people and society. In order to make the exhibits more engaging, he has also included elements of video within the sculptures.
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