10/12/2020
Kinetic Madras -Chennai India ( represented by: Rekha Sameer Art Gallery)
A Kinetic Narrative
Kinetics is a product of its times. The group was formed since the artists realized that a collective identity would not only stimulate their own art practice but also make them a more effective catalyst in energizing the local art scene. Interestingly, here the individual identity is not erased within the idea of the collective as artists aligned with Kinetics pursue varied creative directions. The common thread tying them together is their desire to change the status quo of how art is practiced and perceived both by themselves and by others in the city.
Kinetics, like the word signifies, is a dynamic entity both conceptually and in terms of its members. Dilip Kumar, Gurunathan Govindan, Kumaresan Selvaraj, Saravanan Parasuraman, S. Suresh Kumar, and P. Suresh Kumar were the initial members of the group. Over the years, some artists moved on voluntarily while others joined seeing merit in being aligned with the group. At present, the members of the group are Dilip Kumar, Gurunathan, Kumaresan, Saravanan, P Suresh Kumar, Aneesh, Sunil Sree, Yuvaraj, and Yuvan Bothisathuvar. The aspect that has not changed over all these years is the camaraderie that exists between the artists who regularly meet, discuss, and even travel together. The bond the artists share also emerges from the fact that they all graduated from the same institution although during different years. Furthermore, many of them were fellow practitioners at Lalit Kala Akademi, a state-run studio in the city. The friendship amongst the artists, which goes a long way in smoothening any rough edges, combined with the non-authoritative, non-institutional, and non-hierarchical nature of the group has contributed to its longevity. Even as many art groups in Chennai formed simultaneously and after no longer exist, Kinetics continues to thrive holding regular annual exhibitions both within the city and outside.
Art history is replete with groups and collectives that were formed on the basis of a shared work ideology or the desire to create a change. Some of these formations were also accompanied by the writing of a manifesto that fleshed out their ideals. However, rather than begin with a concrete set of ideals, Kinetics has preferred an exploratory approach allowing its ideals to be shaped by time and the artist’s own lived experience of being in the field of art. Now Kinetics group is poised to become ‘Kinetics Madras Art Foundation’ accompanied by crystallization of its vision and method of functioning.
When the group began in 2007, the artists who were part of it were then at a relatively early stage in their own careers. Over the last 13 years, these artists have grown in their careers and in their thinking. Kinetics has also evolved with them and is now taking the shape of an alternative educational forum, especially for young artists, where workshops, discussions, and exhibitions could be held. Firm in the belief that “one must be the change one wishes to see”, the artists of Kinetics are passionate about creating the kind of nurturing space that they themselves lacked when they were beginning their respective art practices. They envision this space as one where young artists can learn from the insights of seniors in the field and at the same time equip themselves with career skills that are seldom taught in any art institution. Most importantly, Kinetics also aims to be an inclusive artist-led forum for the varying artistic voices of the city to engage in conversation. In a city where the art community is fractured along various lines, a platform, where varied stakeholders can enter into dialogue on artistic and intellectual issues setting aside personal differences, is indeed the need of the hour.
Kinetics not only plans to work within the art community instilling better practices but it also hopes to change the way art is perceived by audiences. In a city where the cultural scene is dominated by music and dance, Kinetics is a call for recognizing the richness of visual arts. At a pan-national level where artists from this region are rarely recognized, Kinetics is sure to create a much-needed voice for the art of the city.
Vaishnavi Ramanathan
Art Historian and Curator
Would you like to know more about the kinetic group and get to Know about their artists
:https://www.gallerisoho.se/kinatics-madras/
