PARALLEL KILNS - Modernist Ceramics from Madras and Bombay
Curatorial text and advisory Lina Vincent
Ceramic practices have often been relegated to the periphery of fine art, although the position has shifted within the discourse of contemporary Indian art. Leading up to this point in history, several initiatives, collective movements and individuals have contributed, some of them undocumented within mainstream art history.
The exhibition presents select ceramic objects from a transitional stage in Indian modern artistic expression (1950s to 70s), following the unique developments connected with the Vitrum Studio in Bombay, founded by Polish settlers Simon Lifschutz and his partner Hanna, and across the peninsula, with TACEL (Tamil Nadu Ceramic Limited) and associated initiatives making Art Pottery within the Madras region. The discussions surrounding the two streams of artistic production engage not only with the material exploration by numerous named and unnamed artists, but also the spirit of the times, reflecting socio-cultural and economic shifts in an evolving nation, urbanisation and the rise of the middle class, as well as the democratic overlap of art and utilitarian design aesthetics.
While the trajectory of these two spaces of creative endeavour has been diverse, their story is entwined through the exploration of the ceramic medium, and the underlying transformation of industrial knowledge for artistic representation.
The Vitrum Studio (est. 1954), in its association with 30 or more artists during its life at Rutton Villa at Cumballa Hill, Bombay, became a space for creative innovation as well as the production of customised ceramic pieces and commissions of public art. Vitrum was the charitable wing of the glass factory set up in the late 1940s by Simon Lifschutz at Vikhroli. It was a time when a newly independent India was welcoming entrepreneurship, professional industry, and cultural expansion, that many Europeans (displaced due to the war) could take advantage of.
The studio was truly experimental; some of the artists encountered the medium for the first time, while others had experienced working with murals. Most of them were associated with the Sir J.J. School of Art. Badri Narayan, a self-trained artist, was also the Chief artist at the studio and created an evocative series of painted ceramic plates and tiles, as well as glass-mosaic works during his time there. Among the other artists showcased are S.A.M Kazi, Gover, Lazar, Sanjay Kumar, Sudha Madan, V. M Raikar, Mahesh Tripathi, Vijoo Sadwelkar, Anjali Dasgupta and C.S Bhati. Provided with materials, including specially procured ceramic pigments, instruction of the processes, and infrastructure for firing the artworks – the artists learnt to enjoy the unpredictability of the results with glazes, that brought about interesting colour schemes and textures.
In the mid-60s, the Lifschutz’s relocated to the UK, and the factory and studio came into the hands of Capt. Nagindas Shah, an enterprising businessman. Renamed HexAmar, the studio continued to be a hub for artists until 1974.
1974 marked the establishment of the umbrella-organisation TACEL in Madras to manage the ceramic units that were running across Tamil Nadu, under the control of the Ministry of Industries and Commerce. In the early 60s, a ceramic factory was set up at Vridhachalam, a locality in South Arcot district known for the availability of lignite and white refractory clay. Here students were trained in craft and design in an annual program, building a domestic line of products that were also sold and exported. During this decade, the Govt. College of Art had developed a section for ceramics that later led to students being recruited by TACEL.
Significantly, these developments were connected to a longer history with pottery in the region, that contributes to the strong relationship with sculptural dimensionality and visual exploration of ceramics as seen in the exhibited collection. On the artistic side, similar to the Western coast, artists trained in Western Academic styles were still looking at means to engage with an Indian and regional identity, as well as sustain themselves through creative livelihoods, bringing craft to the forefront. A small group formed the Artists Handicrafts Association, working with batik textiles, ceramics, leatherware, enamelling and metalwork, forerunning the set-up of the collective Cholamandal Artists’ Village in 1966 on the outskirts of Madras. The art historical context within which the practitioners found themselves, referring to and modernising visual languages connected to local folklore, temple architecture, and heritage crafts, also impacted the aesthetics of the objects. Some names that can be associated with styles of reference, even while objects remain unsigned, are S. Kanniyappan, S. Dhanapal, T.R.P. Mookiah, S. Ponnambalam, and C. Dakshinamoorthy, along with K.C.S.Paniker, guide and mentor, P.V. Janakiram and others who contributed to the contemporary aesthetics of the time.
“Clay Toys” (est. 1964) a Govt. training-cum-production unit in Perambur, Madras, offered employment to traditional potters and doll-makers in the area, who were given design assistance for the production of glazed-ware.
The objects from the parallel kilns demonstrate varied histories, aesthetic influences and artistic gestures. By bringing them together, the exhibition not only proposes a deeper engagement with the milieu surrounding these ceramic practices, but also turns the lens towards the meaning and significance of craft processes, and the intrinsic possibilities of democratised making and owning of art.
Lina Vincent
References:
A GLAZED HISTORY Badri Narayan & the Vitrum Studio. The story of painted tiles & glass mosaic in Mumbai - Curatorial text, Puja Vaish
CLAY | NEW DISCOVERIES FROM THE CERAMIC HISTORY OF MADRAS - Curatorial text, Nafeesa Kaderkutty
Mid-century Madras: Creative Dialogues in Art, Craft and Industry, Chatterjee & Lal, Exhibition Text – Vaishnavi Ramanathan
VITRUM, Conceptualised and published by Haresh Rangildas Mehta, Research and Writing – Juhi Valia, Sanghamitra Chatterjee, Deepti Anand