Artist draws inspiration from poetry

Thiruvananthapuram: For any observer, the array of boats lined up at Fort Kochi against the sprawling skyline makes for an interesting pattern.
Krishnadas AV, alias Das, calls himself an artist who discerns such patterns in daily realities. He dons the hats of an architect, a writer and an artist. His first solo expo is ongoing at Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum.
For him, the end-product is only an after-effect of a meditative journey of creating an art piece, be it sculptures or digital collages. His nonconformist ideology widens the horizons of the possibilities of what art could be.
For someone who never technically studied fine arts, Das traces poetry to be the foundation of finding interest in making art.
“It somehow got embedded in me, probably through the poems my mother used to recite to me as a child. As time goes by, you realise that doing certain things will put you at ease and give you a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. For me, this is achieved through art,” he says.
The exhibition features ten series of work, each quite different from the other in terms of style, method and meaning. The ‘Portrait of the landscape of time and space’ series captures the audience’s attention with its depiction of the progression of time when one sees a sunset. Ultimately, the scene merges into linear lines signifying that humans are nothing compared to the passage of time and space.
Das has used generative coding in the series titled ‘Infinity within nothing’. The patterns here represent the infinite possibilities of starting from nothing to reach infinity, through the big picture seen from afar and the minuscule details when studied up close.
In Das’s words, sculptures may not necessarily be things of beauty to be admired from afar. It should have an element of life that can be touched and experienced. “I do not believe in separating one’s work from nature. I tend to incorporate the organic aspects of whatever materials I find. Like the natural fissures in the red laterite stones that I use, the patterns that the ripples create in water, light and shadow in a room, etc,” he explains.
The artist has been conscious of utilising residue materials from construction sites along with things he has collected over time like shells, mushrooms, and even old letters. What remains of an old letter are the emotions and broken memories associated with its contents.
The exhibition is held from 10am to 5pm and concludes on Tuesday.