A surreal collection of sculptures was on display unifying the creative imagination of artists from India as well as Singapore. By Upasana Singh

Recycled wires shaped into a baby whale, solid bronze carvings of cows, facial features embossed in ceramics and gold-plated metal structures climaxed into a collective exhibition titled Of Human Heritage, an amalgamation of man-made devils that would make the onlooker hit the pause button.

These sculptures were not rigid in their use of traditional wood, ceramic or religious motif and encompassed the entire spectrum of social life, opinions and thought-provoking messages. We liked the Big Foot by Aileen Toh Ah Lan. The artist turned steel wires, which are assumed to be trash, into a beautiful skeleton of a baby whale encouraging the concept of recycling waste. “As an artist, it is our responsibility to educate the masses in a way that they realise and understand the prevailing environmental issues. It was conceived when I saw a whale lying dead at a seashore in Singapore and it broke my heart. Keeping this in my mind, the fin of the baby whale has been shaped into a foot portraying the environmental hazards that are forcing the animals to walk towards the shore for help.”

The sculpture by Vinata Goswamy was created using natural clay fired under the gas kiln for a lustrous ceramic base. Her sculpture, The Sheer, depicted a wise man with eloquent features and expressions with focus on the form. “I am fascinated by Jamini Roy’s paintings. One of his artworks titled Jesus caught my attention to further research about the different faces of Jesus Christ. The vision of portraying simple lines with the face gazing into space with pure dedication was a challenge. In real life, we tend to colour our vision with mixed ideas and complicate our own path in life. This artwork shows a clear and focussed mind with no confusion to be ever present in the moment.”

Goswamy spoke about the intricacies required to attain the desired shape of the object. “Before the clay turns dry, there is limited room to add details and features to a sculpture. And once it gets completely dry, the piece is fired at high temperature to attain the ceramic base. Though the sculpture may sometimes get distorted if precautions are not taken, the burden of it all falls on the clay to play its creativity and grilling out the final work.”

The conversations were all about appreciating the glory of the artworks featured in the exhibition using innovative tools used like aluminum, POP, mirror, spray paint, burnt nuwud, discarded embroidery threads and enamel.

Another piece close to perfection was P Gnana’s artwork, Eternal Companion, showcasing the obsessive fascination of the artist towards the cow. Born in India, the artist is now settled in Singapore and is putting all his efforts to preserve his childhood memories through his sculptures. “My paintings reflect my childhood memories with cows where my parents used to feed and take care of them.” Inspired by the eternal relationship of a human being with the animal which is worshiped in India, the artist sculpted cows out of solid bronze. Being an electronic engineer, the artist keeps experimenting with different tools like fusing wood with bronze, metal and cement to consistently bring innovations to his artworks.

“India and Singapore have always shared cordial relations and art is an extension of it in bridging gaps and strengthening ties. Regardless of the nationalities, these sculptures capture the element of humanity in them which anyone can connect to and understand”, said the curator Vidhya Gnana Gouresan.

Gouresan was optimistic about the scope of sculptural art in the modern times: “It is something that will live on. The use of unusual elements like enamel, cement, brass and sprays is an example of an evolving art form. People are now looking for more challenging media to portray it and turning it into an identity that includes mixed media as well.”