The Metamorphosed Bodies
Change is essential for every aspect of life. Time and place is the tool to bring change, which speaks at the core of mental and physical existence of living beings. One can call it 'Transformation' as a process, progress or remission, which Hitlar Kumar Monee eludes throughout his sculptural works.
Hitlar Kumar is a promising sculptor, currently living and working in New Delhi. He uses mainly stone, metal, fiber and sometime mix media, to contemplate his ideas. He has obtained a Bachelor degree of Fine Arts from Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi in 2007 and completed his Masters of Fine Arts from Faculty of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 2009 respectively.
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| His Earlier Mix Media Work |
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| Detail of the Work |
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| 'Five Elements of Life'(Pancha-tattva), Fiber Glass, 43 x 44 x 54, 2012 |
His works are the silhouette of his contemporary world; where men, animals and birds all living beings are getting transformed according to need and greed of their time and place. One side they are stepping towards elongation, whereas other side they are converting themselves into machines. This mechanism seems the 'sixth element' being added into 'five elements' (Pancha-tattva). This is the point where question breathes that is it truly 'addition' in what we have or 'replacement' in what we had/could have? Thus, these metamorphosed figure have lost their natural forms and appliance at the means of prosthesis of mechanical tools. But they are still forwarding their steps towards these 'cyborgic' changes where their nature, culture and environment are receding in background.
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| 'Mechanism', Fiber Glass, 44 x 24 x 43, 2011 |
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| 'Man on the Roulette of the World', Fiber Glass, 48 x 48 x 78, 2011 |
These figures are athletic, empowered beings seems full of confidence to walk over on what they have acquired from nature but in blind race of mechanism they are forgetting their 'lively' existence. The thing what we, today's people need to grasp from his works is 'The circle of life starts again exactly where it ends up'. The artist has must tried out to siphoning the impact of various aspects of 'transformation' through his meticulous perusal of the subject. This is the reason of successful execution of his imagery which shows a pronounced concern of save environment, society and civilizations.
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| 'Varaha', Metal, 8 x 7 x 16, 2012 |
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| 'Transformation-7', Metal, 9 x 4 x 18, 2012 |
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| 'Transformation-8', Metal, 26 x 6 x 13, 2012 |
This is the reason where he has used the mythological figure of 'Varaha', the one of Vishnu incarnations. Here, Varaha stands on mechanical foot-heel, and bearing the earth to save it. Exactly we will need the Varaha again to save earth and life. The kernel of works insists of past, present and future all combined. His transformed figures shows their present, carrying their past within and one can anticipate the future also. Infect seems artist has chiseled/concocted them for showing estimated future of living creature, to generate the dialogue of awareness.
Hitherto, artist has conveyed his ideas through his direct and skillful approach, who like to carve a stone with his laborious hands which later can speak to thoughtful minds of the viewers. His hands may take the time of few days to few years but mind doesn't release its thoughts before giving a final stamp to ideas. For him carving a sculpture may be a short timed task but each short time has imbibed the long process of thinking. So, he has presented his concrete ideas in form of his sculptures and hope to the viewers to have a dialogue with them.
Image Courtesy: The Artist
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