Sreekanth Kurva

All of us have had acquaintances with animals at some point or the other in our lives. Most of us see animals on a daily basis. But only a handful of us relate to those impressive creatures, derive commonalities with them and try to see the human element and emotion in them. It would take a creative and exceptional mind to consider so. Sreekanth Kurva is the owner of one such tremendously powerful mind that gives him the rare insight and talent to link human feelings and expressions with those of animals and recreate what he observes through the use of different media, material, textures and colour.

Bulls, roosters, rabbits, goats and fishes are among some of the animals that have earned his deepest attention. It may also be because he grew up watching those very animals in his family farm. He captures their spirit, their moods and their passion in a way that is easy for the viewer to relate to but complicated enough to make a lasting impression. His creatures come wrapped with human personality, a myriad of emotions and laced with a certain wit. Their body language range from fierce to mild, from carefree to concerned. Sometimes, his renditions are complete paradoxes considering the expression or emotion of the animal and the choice of colour and texture but Kurva effortlessly brings them together into one potent final image after another. The simplicity of form, the pulsating colours, the use of mixed media, swatches of fabric and paper, all collude with a method as though planned. His experience in the printing industry gives much impetus to his ability to create striking collages. It also certainly is seen as influencing his choice of motifs on the fabric motifs he chooses. His techniques are very laudable because what he does with it looks like a well-composed tune. His creatures hold their own. Their captured expressions do not lie. They are in the time and space they are in. The viewer needs to travel in that space and time to feel the pulse of the animals and their moods.

A true Hyderabadi, his works manifest a decorative sensibility peculiar to artists from the region. His works are not culture-specific or culturally limiting but have a universal appeal and magical reality. Despite having drawn from an Indian background, his creations can level with anything similar on an international platform, by artists from anywhere, beyond the barriers of time because that is the genius of Sreekanth Kurva.