KANAYI KUNJIRAMAN

                             

                                KANAYI KUNJIRAMAN

                           

	Born 25 July 1937 (age 78)[1] Kuttamath, Kasaragod district Occupation Sculptor Years active 1960 - present Notable work Tamilnadu Woman, Malampuzha Yakshi, Sagarakanyaka
	Kanayi Kunhiraman (Malayalam: കാനായി കുഞ്ഞിരാമന്‍ born 25 July 1937). He is the Former Chairman of the Lalit Kala Academy.[1] Kunhiraman is the first sculptor recipient of the Raja Ravi Varma Award, which includes ₹ 1 lakh in cash, a citation and a statue, sculptured by Kunhiraman himself. Kanayi Kunhiraman has been Kerala's Raja Shilpi (royal sculptor) for nearly half a century. His single minded devotion to art has earned him an enviable ... Education Sculpture Diploma Course from Fine Arts College, Chennai - 1960 Slade School of Art, London - 1965[4] Awards 1962 - Govt. of India Cultural Scholarship to study Sculpture at Govt. College of Arts and Crafts, Madras 1965 - Commonwealth Scholarship to study Sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art, University of London 2005 - Raja Ravi Varma award by the Government of Kerala 2006 - Thikkurissy Award[5] Selected works Yakshi at Malampuzha, Palakkad. Shanku and landscaping at Veli lake and the associated tourist village, Thiruvananthapuram Jalakanyaka (Mermaid) at Shankumugham Beach, Thiruvananthapuram. Mother and Child at Payyambalam, Kannur. Mukkola Perumal at Kochi.[6]

           

Eminent Sculptor

It was during the late 1960's when Kanayi Kunhiraman returned to Kerala after his study in the Institute of Fine Arts in Madras under K C S Panicker and later in the Slade School of Art in London under Rug Butler, that an obvious change in sculpture in public space was felt for the first time. Kanayi brought about a landmark change in the perception of public space sculpture.

           

 

FAMOUS WORKS Kunhiraman's YAKSHI, the gigantic nude female figure in Malampuzha in open public space was controversial as it was beautiful. It was also an epoch making figure because it ignited ideas such as the significance of art, meaning of art, concept of public art and forms in art. Yakshi was in the public space. Thus the idea of sculpture in the public space was defined for the first time in Kerala.
JALAKANYAKA (mermaid) with its resplendent pose is not just a sculpture but a landmark of Shanghumukham Beach. It is the only mermaid sculpture in India and perhaps one of the largest in the world. The exquisite Little Mermaid that overlooks the Copenhagen harbor in Denmark is tiny in comparison Kanayi's basic instincts were derived from the culture of the place he was born. The THEYYAM THARA (the auspicious ground for the Theyyam performances in North Kerala) and the mother goddess cult of his village are his potential energy sources. His numerous reliefs, public sculptures, open air sculptures show his basic concept of nativism. Sculptor, painter, landscape artist and finally poet committed to social causes Kanayi is of the view that art is for the people and society, not for sale and to be auctioned in market places. In Kerala Kanayi Kunhiraman name has become synonymous with sculpture.