The essence of a sculptor
In an interview with The Guardian, Anish amplified on his Marsyas: 'The sculpture is in a sense a flayed object, made of skin stretched, revealing a complex network of interior and exterior." The work was a vast red PVC membrane stretched between three massive rings.
The artist and his work were the focal point a documentary film screened by the British Council on August 8 at the Council's premises. The film follows the making of Marsyas, from the earliest models to its completion in October 2002. Anish comments on the various stages of the process and his philosophy of sculpture. Also included in the film are a range of his other works and two recent large works: Sky Mirror in Nottingham and Taratantara, created for the empty shell of Baltic as this new art centre was being built in Gateshead.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The film attracted a wide variety of people--ranging from artists, sculptors, students to teachers and critics. In conversation with some of the viewers, one came across wide appreciation for Anish and his innovative works. In the words of sculptor and artist Professor Hamiduzzaman Khan, "Anish's Marsyas is huge in scale about 155 metres long. Anish says that this is the longest structure ever made. The work has a spiritual element; it is poetic and dramatic because he has taken some sequences from Greek mythology."
Another admirer of Anish's installations is Lala Rukh Selim, sculptor. "I heard that the film would depict contemporary sculpture, so I was interested in seeing it. I wanted to know more about a sculptor's thought process in the course of creating a work of art," she says.
Art critic Moinuddin Khaled, gives his own interpretation of Anish's works. As he says, "Anish tries to make us understand that matter has power. Matter can move us just like colour."
The film on Anish is one in a sequence of documentaries on contemporary British artisits. It follows on the heels of a documentary on Barbara Hepworth. Obviously there is an audience for such a film as was in evidence in a lively question-answer session on Anish and his works.