When I think about raw energy in this city, Sunder Ramu is at the top of my list.

Here’s a fine art creator who is waist deep in the art of theatrics. Art has invaded his life in multiple forms — dance, acting and photography.

Jeffery Vardon   | Photo Credit: Sunder Ramu

His investment in his craft is evident when we talk; I get how sabbaticals are essential to look inward and then out.

Sunder, who lives in the moment, says, “I believe my responsibility towards society is to use my craft to challenge our patterns and choices, and keep breaking down the barriers that we build around ourselves.”

To him the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ are all important. The ‘how’ is well in his control too.

And his guide to constant evolution? To grasp, and absorb, the chaos of the times, even while observing the subtle heartbeat of nature.

Whispers of the Sea   | Photo Credit: Sunder Ramu

“I’d say there is a certain calmness to my images that comes from my trying to quell the chaos,” explains Sunder, who is inspired by the pandemonium of traffic jams, as well as the calm sound of the sea.

‘Whispers of the sea’ is a body of work that celebrates the faith our fisherfolk place in their ‘sea god’.

It projects the progressive spirit of our fishermen post the 2004 tsunami devastation. A merman, instead of fish, is used to represent how their simple lives might seem like a fantasy for those of us caught up with our world of manufactured complexities.

The last dance of the leaves   | Photo Credit: Sunder Ramu

‘The last dance of the leaves’ draws parallels in the human universe — birth, death, relationships, the beauty of error, and the errors of beauty. This is a continuing exhibit that has travelled four cities, and has 16 more to go.

See more of him on soondah_wamu