Ribbed Routes

G.R. Iranna,
22 January to 15 February, The Guild

G.R. Iranna's latest show is named Ribbed Routes, going on at The Guild gallery at Mumbai. In his sculptures, he has shown the pressing needs of today's world. The lack of social harmony among the various sections of our society and the political unrest is the main theme of his works. Iranna unearths the contradiction between our philosophical principles of life and the stark reality which we face every day. The pathos of human life is reflected in his works. Iranna also wants to tell the world about what must be done in the recent times to bring in the lost peace and harmony.

In the work below named 'Peace and Pieces', Iranna has made a composition of a reclining Buddha figure made of fiber glass, two rows of aluminum trunks and some surgical metal clamps. On every trunk, the words 'Tool Box' are written to give the creation a regular and everyday feel. The figure of Buddha has got monumentality and it resembles the Parinirvana Buddha form. Iranna has depicted the metal clamps as devices to hold the broken bones of Buddha, which give the work a realistic feel. The whole arrangement is made in such a way that the audience can perceive Buddha as a common man and not like the historic Hindu icon. The two rows of trunks that have been used in the work also invoke the symbol of a common dream that every mediocre man has when he leaves his home in search of a future elsewhere. Here the body of Buddha evokes a sense of peace and draws us to a point where we need to think and rethink about our contemporary societal turmoil which needs to be ceased in the near future.