Nandhan Gallery
Born: 1940
About his works:
Nandhan derives his colour, shapes and fantsasies from interior landscapes but his roots are firmly embedded in the folk traditions of Southern India. Presently his works are in granite; the pock textured solid medium which he has to chip and carve. His current granite series twists out of the innards of solid rock, the motion inherent in all natural forms, the rhythm of shorebound waves and the sway of branches. Preserving the grainy texture of the substance which is reverentially left undisturbed, Nandhan wrests from the unmoving mass spatial arrangements which harmonize the logical requirements of abstraction the basic tenents of folk art.
Education:
1965: becomes the life member of the Cholamandhal Artist’s Village.
1968: Diploma in Painting and Advance course with distinctions from the Government College of Art and Craft, Madras
1972: Experimented with and started sculpting in clay, metal sheet, bronze, brick, wood and granite
Exhibitions:
1976: 25th International Pugwash Conference; Taj Coromandel Hotel, Madras
: National Exhibition; Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi
1978: “40 Artists Of Madras” Exhibition; The British Council, Madras
1988: Asian Art Biennale; Bangladesh
1989: “Sculpture Of Nehru”; Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra, Calcutta
1990: International Exhibition of Asian - European Art Biennale; Ankara, Turkey
1991: “The Madras Metaphor” Exhibition; organized by Ebrahim Alkazi, Art Heritage Gallery, New Delhi
Awards:
1992: National Award by the Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi
Also, Nandhan’s works have been documented in the “Contemporary Indian Sculpture - The Madras Methapor” book which was published by Oxford University Press.