Ravinder Reddy, known for his iconic heads, returns after almost a decade

The multifaceted feminine form represents life to me, says G Ravinder Reddy

To get the right chatter going about a swanky new art space can be a taxing engagement, but the task is cut down to size when you have a massive guardian deity-like figure on your side. Her ebony hair plaited and rolled into a bun and adorned with flowers, her lips the darkest crimson, she’s aptly titled Devi. Sculpted in bronze and painted over with gold, her eyes are wide open, soaking in the world around her. 

Located inside Bengaluru’s RMZ Ecoworld, the art space is called The Gallery, and Devi is one of G Ravinder Reddy’s works. Over the years, Visakhapatnam-based Reddy’s larger-than-life heads have become closely associated with his name, and these are as imposing as the memories they leave behind. 

Reddy had last put up a solo show in 2008, in Grosvenor Vadehra, London. Almost a decade later, a collection of his old and new works have been put together in a show called “Heads and Bodies, Icons and Idols”. 

It is no surprise that almost all of these idols are of women, for Reddy has always focussed on the feminine. “The multifaceted feminine form represents life to me,” says Reddy, adding how the use of vivid hues in his work is a representative of people’s aspirations. 

“I also use bright colours because that’s used in true Indian palette: the pastels popular today are cultivated tastes,” he says. The idea is to go beyond cosmetic beauty, adds Reddy.  

One of his iconic sculptures Devi

As the ongoing retrospective clearly shows, Reddy’s woman is every woman: she’s the one in the sleeveless yellow top paired with dark pants, sunglasses and a red umbrella; she’s also the one who puts her hair up in a tightly-rolled bun, and decks it up with vibrant flowers. 

It is only in the Couple series that the man emerges, but man or woman, Reddy’s figures have never been what norms define to be “sculpted”. Instead, they are generously-shaped and are unexpected champions of body positivity. And yet, it’s always the head-figures one returns to. 

Reddy’s heads, as art critic Gulammohammed Sheikh notes in an essay, have “assumed a totally independent entity” with the heads being the “epitome of the spirit of the body.”

The nose studs and earrings on these heads have detailed designs, and the marigold and jasmine wreaths brightening up a head of dark hair have been crafted with equal care. It’s these highly-detailed relief attributes that make Reddy’s work stand out, feels Premilla Baid, the gallery’s art consultant.

“We do have the Rajasthani or Gujrati women in art, but we rarely see southern women in any form, be it paintings or sculptures,” says Baid, adding how Reddy’s women-heads have always had strong cultural identities.

G Ravinder Reddy at work

Reddy’s iconic heads have always been seen in isolation, their gaze being directed at the onlooker, notes art historian Lina Vincent Sunish. But in this show, two of Reddy’s figure-heads face each other, creating a dialogue. Both are called “Krishnaveni”, and while one has skin the colour of copper, the other is blue. Just the placement of the two figures is enough to trigger a conversation on skin colour and identity. 

A part of Reddy’s repute, believes Sunish, is because of his extreme commitment to a specific visual language. “In the 1970s, when he began to do painted sculptures, it was something that was never done before. It was remarked upon, it was criticised, and it was noticed,” says Sunish. “Today, he still has that same level of commitment to the technique he’s devised without being stagnant,” she adds. 

His works Relief ii and Relief i from the 1980s

 

The show is on till September 9 at The Gallery, RMZ Ecoworld, Bengaluru

Contact: 080-40004000