An iron will gets moulded in stone

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It’s amazing to see how in an all-male bastion such as sculpture, artist Latika Katt has held her own. She not just warded off competition from mainstream art forms such as painting and photography, but also fought the critical eye of a gender-biased society to pursue her passion. The artist will be showcasing some of the highlights of her work at the Cymroza Art Gallery in Mumbai this week. A recipient of several national and international honours, Latika asserts that her creations are entirely hers. “I don’t draw a pattern on paper and ask someone else to design it. What you see is what I have made from scratch,” she says.
A product of the prestigious Doon School, Latika says that she grew up with boys and had a rather outdoorsy childhood. “My biggest inspiration behind sculpture was my love for nature,” says the artist who was thrilled with the option of being able to work with a variety of mediums in sculpture. “Although I began as a student of painting, overtime I took to sculpture because I found it more exciting. I enjoyed the physical involvement it provided and as an art form it’s definitely more challenging. You get to work with all kinds of materials which gives you a chance to be closer to nature,” says the artist who created a 20-feet high monumental sculpture at the Jawahar Bhavan in New Delhi in 1997. It was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who spotted Latika’s talent and encouraged her to her passion further and now another sculpture that commemorates Gandhi is in progress.
Through the ongoing exhibition, Latika wants to pass on a green message to the viewers. “It’s my humble way of projecting the idea of saving nature. My work is very organic,” she says. Most of the sculptures in this exhibition are centred on the common theme of ecology and moulded in varied materials such as papier maché, marble, bronze and iron. A creation, which is an immediate eye-catcher, is Latika’s rendition of Varanasi’s Dashaswamedh ghat. “I share a very special and old association with that ghat,” says the artist who was a both a student and a faculty member at the Benaras Hindu University. “Two years ago, when I turned 60, I told myself I had to make a ghat sculpture. Later on that sculpture won me an international award from China,” adds a beaming Latika.
However, the accolades didn’t come easy. “I had to fight a lot to do what I loved to do. Initially, everybody was very dismissive, because they thought since I am a woman, something that’s as physically demanding as sculpture can’t be my domain! But I have never let negativity bog me down. I have never compromised with my art. Even today, if my sculptures don’t sell, I don’t think any less of myself,” says Latika. She, however, rues the fact that the art form often suffers due to lack of sponsorships. “Paintings are easier to handle and hence more cost-effective when it comes to touring. But sculptures demand a whole range of additional equipment for transport such as pulleys and cranes, which ends up being cumbersome and expensive,” she says. But it’s still far from a dying art form.
“Sculptures have been there since ancient ages and in spite of all challenges, the artists are happy moulding their creations. It’s a very gratifying exercise in itself,” adds Latika.
The exhibition is on till March 19 at the Cymroza Art Gallery, Breach Candy