Eminent artist Rm. Palaniappan has a lot to share about his Busan residency
“Palaniappan, you have become more popular here in Korea within a few years than many of us, who have been working for decades.” — This statement is perhaps proof of the Korean artists’ appreciation and respect for senior artist Rm. Palaniappan’s creativity. Palaniappan is an acclaimed artist internationally for his expertise in graphics, drawing, painting and photography.
He was recently in Busan, Korea as an Artist in Residency at the invitation of K-Art International Exchange Association, one of the largest exhibitors of contemporary and traditional art in Busan.
The K-Art International Exchange Association takes up several international activities in India, Japan, and Vietnam, China among the earlier destinations. They already held 10 exhibitions in Chennai, including three Biennales in collaboration with Lalit Kala Akademi and Inko Centre, Chennai.
Now they are planning to have a major collaborative exhibition with Mumbai artists in October. Inko Centre, Chennai, has been organising several cultural activities between India and Korea for the past 11 years , which made it possible for visual artists and performing artistes as also writers of both countries to collaborate .
This is Palaniappan’s third visit to Busan and the first residency, though he has been to several art institutions on invitation and also was an ‘Artist at Residency’ in different countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. His stay in Busan gave him an opportunity to be present in person at the 16th International Busan Art Fair, in which besides his paintings, works by C. Douglas and Alphonso Doss from Chennai and a few other artists found a place.
“In this Art fair, several galleries from Mumbai also took part and displayed over a hundred works by Indian artists,” says Palaniappan. Many Indian artists visit Korea to exhibit their work as also for workshops, etc. in painting as well as ceramics. He has been exhibiting regularly in Korea for the past few years and is quite well known in the art circle. His interview was broadcast over radio and articles were published in newspapers.
During the 35 years of his service at the Lalit Kala Akademi, from where he retired last year as the regional secretary, he has had the opportunity to meet and interact with many established national and international artists as well as young and upcoming artists. This experience earned him the invitation as curator/commissioner of international and national exhibitions, such as the Bharat Bhavan (Bhopal) International Print Biennale (1995) and “The Major Trends in Indian Art” Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (1997).
“I had a warm reception there during my residency; I visited museums and galleries to see both traditional and contemporary art and watch artists at work,” says Palaniappan, who initially stayed with a doctor, an art collector, in his medical resort. He took him to many interesting places.
“Korea has a strong tradition in arts. The landscape with its mountains, waterfalls, lakes, etc., has always inspired artists as can be seen from their watercolour wash drawings,” observes Palaniappan. Some artists have developed a penchant for the abstract while some have evolved a contemporary style out of the landscapes, using different mediums and techniques. A lot of artists also work with new media and installations and the results are quite contemporary. I can name a few artists, who paint — Young–sung Kim for realistic work, Bong cheon Kim for digital manipulation, Prof. Hodeuk Kim, Yong-woon kim, Hee-Don Lee and Hyun-Cheol Hong for abstraction and Sung Won Choi, Ji-Yeon Song for a unique landscape approach,” he says.
Since 1982, when he started using the line as a main element in his work for expressing his presence in the creation, Palaniappan’s main concern was expression of movements in the context of physical and psychological perceptions of ‘time-space-environment.’ “In my work, light in the space was outside as a background for the line and movement; but recently I brought light into the line within the confined space, that is, the movement of line itself as light,” he explains.
Known as a master of graphic arts for trying novel and innovative ideas, Palaniappan has been spending his time mostly drawing and painting. “Whatever I am attempting at, I want to be honest to my work,” he says. “I may be using various mediums, including photography, but you will see a continuity — like in music,” he adds. In fact his works are linked — from his earlier etchings, lithographs, etc., to his conte drawings and the recent works. Take for instance, his recent creation, ‘Maze.’ “ there are no blockades anywhere; when one goes through the maze, one can pass through the entire area of the confined space as if walking through one’s life,” he points out.
During his stay in Busan Palaniappan was provided with a studio apartment and a local person to help him with the language and chores. He was painting for long hours — he made ten in all. “Even when my assistant suggested we go out, I refused. When not working, I did some sightseeing and went to a few islands; it is said that there are nearly 2,000 islands around Busan. The landscape is absolutely fascinating. Only a few islands are connected by road; for others one has to go by boat or flight. I visited a few Buddhist temples as also heritage villages. Quite a few artists speak English; the organisers had provided an interpreter for me.”
What about food, Palaniappan being a vegetarian? “Eating out was ruled out. Since I can cook it was fine. I had taken some instant stuff. Besides, vegetables and fruits were available aplenty. So I managed quite well,” he says.
After a second Korean Residency later this year, which would be partly sponsored by Inko Centre, Palaniappan’s works will be exhibited at Busan and Seoul. Also, he will be delivering lectures on Indian art at some universities and art institutions in Seoul and Busan. Painting, of course, is on the cards.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Lakshmi Venkataraman / May 17th, 2018