K S Radhakrishnan

Sculpting taught me the importance and relevance of ‘looking around’ though ‘looking back’ is unavoidable. – KS Radhakrishnan

KS Radhakrishnan is a sculptor and bronze has remained his prominent medium for a long time. He was born in Kottayam district of Kerala in 1956. Radhakrishnan went to Santiniketan in 1973-74 to pursue BFA in Sculpture from Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University. He completed his MFA in the year of 1981 and very soon was awarded with a research grant by Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi to work in Garhi Village. Since then has had more than fifteen solo shows including Mapping with Figures the Evolving Art of KS Radhakrishnan at National Gallery of Modern Art (Bengaluru), Centre des Bords de Marne, LePerreux-Brysur-Marne (France), Lalit Kala Akademi (New Delhi) and Birla Academy of Art and Culture (Kolkata) amongst others. Among the numerous group shows at which his works have been exhibited are the National Exhibition at New Delhi (1980); Triennalle India (1990); Salon International de la Sculpture Contemporaine at Nouveav Forum des Halles, Paris (1995); Hippodrome d’elongchamp, Paris (1996); Espace Michel Simon-Noisy le grand, France (1996); Beijing Biennale (2012). From 1980’s onwards Radhakrishnan has installed open air sculptures across the country and abroad including at the TMI foundation, Cotignac, France. 

The two major themes/motifs of his works are the male and female figures Maiya and Musui which represent the anima-animus, the primary anthropomorphic archetypes. These works are his meditations on migration, history, nostalgia and memory which have a direct engagement with the public sphere. He renders a sensuous quality to his works by deploying extraordinary body movements of his figures. He has curated the exhibition Ramkinkar Baij - A Retrospective at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, where a book titled Ramkinkar’s Yaksha Yakshi written by him was released. In 2019, he curated an exhibition, 100 Years of Kalabhavan - Pillars of an Artscape at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan. In 2022, he curated - Somnath Hore a centenary exhibition at Arthshila, Santiniketan and at Emami Art, Kolkata. He worked on a well-documented book on Somnath Hore on the occasion of centenary exhibition. Radhakrishnan curated another exhibition - Iti, Satyajit Da, Letters to a friend from Satyjit Ray at KCC, Kolkata. He has curated the exhibition and accompanying book Vision and Visuals: Jatindrakumar Sen’s Illustrations for Parashuram’s Stories (2023) at Arthshila, Santiniketan. In 2023, On the Open Road – A Retrospective Exhibition of Radhakrishnan was held at Bikaner House, New Delhi. Radhakrishnan is a distinctive and appealing presence on the modern Indian sculpture scene. He lives in Delhi with his wife and son.