Ravinder Reddy's first sculptural solo in Kolkata

The first-ever solo exhibition of sculptures by India's eminent artist G Ravinder Reddy will open in a Kolkata art gallery in June. Titled 'RASA', the exhibition curated by art critic-curator Anupa Mehta, will open at Emami Art, a contemporary art gallery at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) Kolkata.

The exhibition is going to showcase a range of works by Reddy spanning from 1989 to 2019. It will include his latest creations along with his important works from the earlier period to highlight shifts in his oeuvre as a known sculptor, whose works are in the collection of global museums.

Reddy's sculptures depict the human form in all its vulnerable complexities. He is known for his gilded fibreglass and bronze sculptural heads that are decorated with wide open eyes, elaborate hair styles and prominent makeup.

Otherwise only found as religious statues in India, his decorated sculptures draw from various sources including Pop Art. His larger than life colourful installations celebrate and question the ideals of Indian culture, a statement from Emami Art said. In this new body of work, the globally-exhibited artist draws attention to stylistic departures and shifts in his works which refer and question perceptions around the notion and idealised ideas of beauty.

Curator Mehta said that Reddy marries tradition with the contemporary to create works that are at once iconic as they are rooted in the vernacular. "This exhibition allows us to see departures and stylistic shifts in the artist's work over a period of two decades," she said.