Ravikumar Kashi, an artist based in Bangalore is known for exploring various mediums in his artistic practice of over two decades. Graduated to be a painter from College of Fine Arts, Bangalore and printmaker at M S University, Baroda, the upcoming show is Kashi’s exploration into ‘performance photography’.
It’s a term the artist prefers to employ for the manner in which he arranges objects and photogrpahs them. 24 of these photographs are being exhibited in the show, The Game.
The 42-year-old artist explains the title of the show that is edited by curator, poet and critic, Ranjit Hoskote. “I arrange objects in my studio and photograph them, change the arrangements and take more photographs. It’s like I’m playing with these objects, exploring ideas and possibilities and hence the title.” These objects have been collected during his travels and from the Sunday chor bazaar in Bangalore.
“For years I have been collecting objects that seem interesting. Once I started placing them next to each other, unexpected meanings started emerging,” explains the artist. This led him to explore and expand the meanings of objects and arrangements. But there is no one theme or meaning underlining the works. “The idea is to have primary and secondary meanings in each work and let them be open to interpretations,” says Kashi.
The artworks have been divided into three subjects – Engaging Buddha, Meeting in Darkness and Chest of Secrets. While the first two are digital prints on archival paper, the third one is a video. Kashi talks about the video, “It shows different drawers filled with objects – simple yet obscure – like red chillies, different kinds of false mustaches, marbles and other such objects. Whereas these objects have certain key meanings attached to them, there could also be derivative meanings to them too.”
{{/usCountry}}The artworks have been divided into three subjects – Engaging Buddha, Meeting in Darkness and Chest of Secrets. While the first two are digital prints on archival paper, the third one is a video. Kashi talks about the video, “It shows different drawers filled with objects – simple yet obscure – like red chillies, different kinds of false mustaches, marbles and other such objects. Whereas these objects have certain key meanings attached to them, there could also be derivative meanings to them too.”
{{/usCountry}}Kashi has worked with sculpture, graphics, painting on glass and canvas, paper pulp sculpture, photography and video, and is currently learning a Korean technique of making paper from Mulberry trees.
“I will be working in Korea and have an exhibition there,” says Kashi.The upcoming show is a traveling show that has already been shown in Bangalore and Chennai and will travel to Delhi after Mumbai.