While in most cases it is the art that shapes the material, in sculptor N.P. Gireesh’s case, it is the material that shapes his art.
For, he works on tree roots, which often have a character of their own, already bent and twisted into shapes that are hard to be replicated by humans.
Like, his sculpture of a man in a yoga pose, resting on his stomach on a floor, with legs and arms raised up, it was the shape and character of the root that dictated Gireesh what to do with it.
Almost free
He would have liked to work with wood, but for someone who prefers not to sell any of his works, it was unaffordable. Hardly anyone wanted the roots of the trees, and hence he could get them almost free-of-cost.
“I had begun dabbling in painting and sculpture as a child though I was never trained in any art. I first began working with tree roots two decades ago, when I realised that it is a cost-effective option for someone like me who does not have much money to invest into this. Also, the roots with their unique shapes often give me ideas to create something new,” says Gireesh.
Limitations too
The shape of the root often limits his work too, as there is only so much room available for manoeuvre. This is evident in a sculpture of a mermaid with unsymmetrical arms, made from the root of a jackfruit tree.
A work titled ‘collective’ has three human figures in a relaxed post, carved out of a single root.
Knowledge of roots
All the years of working on roots has given Gireesh some knowledge about the nature of roots of various trees. The roots of the teak tree, he says, are often small. He has used one of them to make a sculpture of a dog and three puppies.
A teacher of law at the Cooperative Arts and Science College, Gireesh also works with waste materials. A discarded petrol tank and silencer of a motorcycle has been shaped into an ostrich.
An exhibition of Gireesh’s works, which opened at Hotel My Home near Ayurveda College junction on Sunday, will be on till July 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.