Circle Uncircled :
Challenge of Medium and Challenging
the Medium of Ceramics

Johny ml

In Rahul Kumar’s ‘Circle Uncircled’ you come across a constricted galaxy of celestial objects, luminous, kinetic in an illusory way and the inaudible rhythm of rotations emanating from each object, making the viewer a bit unsettled and awe-ridden by the very vastness and spectacular visual effect of the installation. The material that the artist has used in order to create this huge installation with dimensions of 24 feet by 10 feet is stoneware, heat hardened and glazed clay in 1100 degree Celsius. As an accomplished ceramist and a fine artist, Rahul Kumar created this installation exclusively for the seventh edition of India Art Fair, New Delhi presented by Manu Dosaj, the director of Gallerie Alternatives.

For the artist this is a journey from the micro world of creation to the macro worldof art exposition. The earlier works of Rahul show his interest in miniature format works that demand the physical proximity of the viewer with the works. Here in ‘Circle Uncircled’, Rahul sends the viewer a little away from the real object presence, asking for physical readjustments in order to get a complete picture. As far as a viewer is concerned, confronting this larger scale installation itself is an experience for it challenges the expected notions of a wall based installation. The medium used in this work further excites the viewer as generally ceramics as medium is seen as one that is used for making very accommodative small scale decorative pots and intricate forms of tactile voluptuousness.