Material: stainless steel mesh,nails,g.i. rods
artist statement
Lakshman Rao
Kotturu’s practice is a process of introspection and contemplation that offers
him a space to reconcile with his experiences of loss, grief and struggle. He
gazes at life through the prism of human nature and the lived experience, and
represents through his work, the power structures, dependence and conflict
within relationships, as well as the turmoil they may cause an individual.
lakshman
articulates these poignant themes through a range of tropes.
Employing quotidian objects and motifs from the animal world, he plays on
their inherent meanings, and manipulates their medium to interpret the politics
of relationships. The elephant, for example, symbolizes strength combined with
benevolence while a crocodile depicts the barbaric tendencies of people and
society. lakshman, at times, alters the scale of his subjects or at other times
subjects them to unexpected juxtapositions. Through such use of irony
and wry humor, he attempts to expand their conceptual potential and open them
up to wider readings.
Abounding in
commonplace references, lakshman’s charged works have a sense of immediacy and
resonance. They are evocative of both individual and collective anxieties,
and in their own ingenious way, raise questions about the dynamic of human
relationships, while also commenting on the intrinsically prevalent power
structures within them.