KS Radhakrishnan

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KS Radhakrishnan

K. S. Radhakrishnan is a sculptor and bronze has remained his prominent medium for a long time.

Early life and education

Radhakrishnan was born in Kottayam district of Kerala in 1956. After completing his undergraduate degree from Changanacherry, Radhakrishnan went to Shantiniketan in 1973–74 to pursue formal training in art from the prestigious Kala Bhavan of Vishwabharati University.

KS Radhakrishnan with Ramkinkar Baij, Shantiniketan 1979.jpg

There he was mentored and trained by two important figures of Indian modernism – Ramkinkar Baij and Sarbari Roy Choudhury. His sculptural talents were acknowledged at a very young age when he was awarded the National Scholarship offered by Government of India in 1978.

Career

At the opening of the show in Paris, 1993

During these early formative years of his career, Radhakrishnan was invited to be part of many exhibitions at Lalit Kala Akademi and Birla Academy of Art and Culture. He completed his MFA in 1981 and soon after was awarded a research grant by Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi to work in Garhi Village. This also gave him an opportunity to move to Delhi and explore the diverse artistic practices of the metropolis. Since then, he has had more than fifteen solo shows including at National Gallery of Modern Art (Bengaluru), Centre des Bonds de Marne, LePerreux-Brysur-Marne (France), Lalit Kala Akademi (New Delhi) and Birla Academy of Art and Culture (Kolkata) amongst others. Among the numerous group shows at which his works have been exhibited are the National Exhibition at New Delhi (1980); Triennale India (1990); Salon International de la Sculpture Contemporaine at Nouveav Forum des Halles, Paris (1995); Hippodrome d’elongchamp, Paris (1996); Espace Michel Simon-Noisy le grand, France (1996); Beijing Biennale (2012). From the 1980s onwards, Radhakrishnan has installed open air sculptures across the country and abroad including at the TMI foundation, Cotignac, France. He installed the open air public sculpture ‘Bahuroopi’ at Kottayam in 2016 and ‘Musui on the Portal’ at Panjim, Goa in 2017.

The two major themes of his works are the male and female figures Maiya and Musui, which represent the anima-animus, the primary anthropomorphic archetypes. These sculptures range from small-intimate scale to lofty dimensions. These works are his meditations on migration, history, nostalgia and memory, which have a direct engagement with the public sphere. He renders a sensuous quality to his works by deploying extraordinary body movements of his figures. He curated the exhibition Ramkinkar Baij - A Retrospective at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. He has written a book titled *Ramkinkar’s Yaksha Yakshi* which was released during the aforementioned retrospective. Radhakrishnan has been awarded the K.C.S. Panickar Puraskar, Govt. of Kerala (2011). Radhakrishnan is a frequent traveler and thus is considered a cosmopolitan nomad who is not restricted by national or regional barriers. Radhakrishnan is a distinctive and appealing presence on the modern Indian sculpture scene. He lives in Delhi with his wife and son.

Gallery

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  Woman Playing Violin at TMI, France, 1994
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  Portal Show, Kolkata, 1997
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  Detail of Musui Maiya, 2000
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  KS Radhakrishnan with Heritage Column, 2002
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  Freehold, Museum Gallery, Mumbai, 2006
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  Prof. KG Subramanyan viewing Liminal Figures - Liminal Space, Birla Academy, Kolkata, 2008
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  Maiya as Writer Uttarayan Art Foundation, Shantiniketan, 2011
• Ramkinkar Baij - A Retrospective at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi - Curated by KS Radhakrishnan, 2012
  Ramkinkar Baij - A Retrospective at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi - Curated by KS Radhakrishnan, 2012
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  Bahuroopi (2016) at Municipal Corporation Park, Kottayam, Kerala 2016
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  Musui on the Portal, Panjim, Goa 2017

Reference

Meet Maiya and Musui, sculptor KS Radhakrishnan’s signature characters K.S. Radhakrishnan | Sculptor of the mind Mapping with Figures: The Evolving Art of K.S. Radhakrishnan Inauguration of the sculptor exhibition of K.S. Radhakrishnan at NGMA Bengaluru KS Radhakrishnan: Mapping With Figures A portrait bust in bronze

References

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