Artists Directory >Mookiah T.R.P
"During my student days I found myself taking a deep interest in sculpture. I had watched D P Roy Chowdhuri, Prodosh Das Gupta and S. Dhanapal at work and imbibed their liking for solid forms. My rural background added to this an element of rugged forcefulness and vitality and a sense of movement which even today helps me capture in my sculpture the natural beauty of the bare-bodied primitives and the agility of the animals and their way of life in their native habitats. When an artist is burning with creative urge the immediate availability and simplicity will help him to actualise the mental picture with the play of his fingers and simple devices. Later on he bakes them to get solidness and colour. For this particular character of clay I consider it my favourite medium. Talking about my terracottas, I must emphasise one fact. Because of the nature of the material from which they are made, the ease with which it can be handled and the resulting freedom it offers the artist, these objects are very valuable in affording a clear insight into the most basic of cultural traits, namely, the customary mode of expression. In this respect, they are probably greater value than the more impressive monuments in stone."
Chronology
Born : 1934
Education
1956 : Diploma in Painting, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai.
1959 : Diploma in Modelling, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai.
1959 : The Government of India Cultural Scholarship tenable for three years.
Exhibitions
1962-'93 : National Exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
1968 : I Triennale-India, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
1963-'92 : Annual shows of the Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu, Chennai. Also participated in major exhibitions held in Mysore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Calcutta, New Delhi, Chennai and at different centres in Kerala.
1978 : Exhibition of works by 40 Chennai-based artists under the sponsorship of the British Council.
1980 : Selected for a travelling exhibition. Represented at the National Rashtriya Kala Mela and V Triennate-India, all three hosted by the the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Shows held in different cities in India and abroad.
1982 : The Lalit Kala Akademi-sponsored show in New Delhi.
1969-'79 : One-man shows group shows in Chennai.
1996 : 5th all India Veteran Artists' Exhibition, New Delhi, under the auspices of the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi.
Awards
1965, 66, 67, 76 & 80 : Tamil Nadu ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu Annual State Awards for terracotta sculpture.
1963: Wild life exhibition.
1965: Society of Ceramic award, New Delhi.
1964: Department of Industries and Commerece Ceramic Sale show.
1994: National Award.
1990: Fellowship conferred by the Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu, Chennai
Camps
1980: Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishath, Banglore;
1983: Ceramic Camp for the Southern region, Chennai; Sculptors 'Camp, Chennai;
1985: Sculptors'Camp sponsored, Chennai;
1995: Camp for Wood Carving, Banglore;
1996: Sculptors' Camp At Mamallapuram organised by the South Zone Cultural Centre,Thanjavur;
1997: Camp for Terracotta Sculptors at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai, under the sponsorship of the South Zone Cultural Centre.
Positions Held
Lecturer (Associate);
Member, Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu, Chennai;
Vice-President, Association of Young Painters and Sculptors;
Member of the Executive Board, South India Society of Painters, Chennai
Commissions
Central Institute of Plastic and Engineering, Chennai (Window panels in fibre glass);
Tamil Nadu Pavilion at Asia '72, New Delhi;
Garden Sculpture at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Coimbatore.
Collections
National gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi;
Contemporary Art Gallery;
Government Museum, Chennai;
Campus Museum, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai;
Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu, Raj Bhavan, Chennai;
Sarala Art Centre (renamed Artworld), Chennai;
Contemporary Art Gallery, Coimbatore;
Regional Centre, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai.
Coronet Art Gallery, Chennai and several other private and public collections in India and abroad.
