Our understanding of the world around us is constantly shaped by the materials that fill it. For artists, this relationship can become part of the creative process. In Material Memoir, a new show at Artiform, Mylapore, substances like wood, metal, and graphite, move beyond their physical forms to become ways of telling stories. Carved, layered, cut, shaped, each material gradually becomes a part of a narrative. The audience is left to wonder whether materials can indeed remember.
The exhibition brings together the works of upcoming Chennai-based artists Kannan P, Mani Murugesan, Ramki Ravi, Ramesh N, Surya S and Yogeshwaran V. Some pieces quickly announce the idea of contemplating material memory and the central nature of life through indents, and suspension. There are some others that show you the palpable changes taking place in Nature through nests and webs.
Mettalic Nest: Solitude and Synergy by Kannan P
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Take Kannan’s practice, for instance. He evidently engages with welding, sheet metal, wood, and bronze. Welding is central to his visual language. One of his pieces titled Metallic Nest: Solitude and Synergy, made entirely with steel, is inspired by the “collective architecture of the wasp’s nest,” says Kannan. Growing up in Chennai’s Ambattur, the presence of a wasp’s nest is something that he witnessed often. “A single paper wasp or honeybee cannot build a hive alone, yet together they craft complex structures through collective labour. In my practice and in life, I believe true strength and beauty emerge not from isolated creation, but from shared unity,” says Kannan.
Perseverance by Kannan P
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“Every time I clean a spider’s web in my house, it rebuilds again and again. Watching this cycle sparked a deep personal realisation. No matter how many times its creation is disrupted, the spider stays focussed solely on its work. For me, this only means that I need to keep moving forward despite every obstacle or setback. That is what I have tried to do in Perseverance,” he adds.
Kannan says that the way he has used steel to construct a suspended human takes the form of a spider’s home and its infinite web. The piece, an already striking visual, hence becomes that much more compelling.
“We think of wood, graphite, paper, metal, and all these materials as just something that is used to create an artwork. But when you actually look closely, they are not just materials. That is where the story begins. Each artist has approached the material in a different way, and even though their styles are distinctive, the material they have used carries an evocation,” says curator Isaiarasi Annamalai.
Forms of Nature
Apian Society by Ramki Ravi
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There are other artists who seem to be gravitating towards hymenoptera, arachnids, and other small creatures. Artist Ramki Ravi transforms paper through cutting, carving, and layering, challenging the material’s inherent flatness. Inspired by the forms of Nature, the sculpted pieces draw upon forms such as ‘honeycombs, fingerprints, and patterns of insect movement.’
The first work that catches your eye is titled Apian Society, made with paper and gold foil texture paste. The artwork is in all shades of orange and bright yellow; in some ways, it also reminds me of the golden hour evenings. The artist says that this artwork explores collective living through a honeycomb structure, highlighting how individual contributions create a harmonious society without rivalry or envy.
Constellation by Ramki Ravi
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Another work that catches my attention is titled Constellation, made with acrylic on canvas; the work resembles a starry night, a rare occurance for city dwelling people. For the artist, it denotes the endless thoughts that inhabit a human mind. “From waking to sleeping, the flow of thoughts appearing and disappearing resembles a starry night sky, expressing the ceaseless flux and energy of countless thoughts,” says Ramki.
Crab line by Ramesh N
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For artist Ramesh, much of his works draw inspiration from his recent travels to Kochi in Kerala. He uses etching, woodcut, and mixed media to show crabs, boats, and the shore as recurring themes. In one work, dense tree roots envelop the boats, while in another, a school of fish swims alongside them. All these paintings seem to inherently carry forward a philosophy of mushrooming from one’s roots. How this expounds, measures their success.
Internal voice
General Perspective by artist Surya S
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The exhibition also brings to us many external philosophies.
Born in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, artist Surya S was raised in a village environment, which shaped his sensitivity to everyday life. His work General Perspective, made with a mixed media of paper, wood, and steel, resembles a pinball game with its metallic balls of varying sizes. But the artist says, “the things we witness, learn, accept, and question gradually shape our sense of identity and belonging. What begins as an external influence eventually becomes an internal voice.”
Dialectics by artist Murugesan
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Another artist who seems to contemplate the world as a whole is Murugesan. His works draw on scientific thought, philosophical enquiry, and close observations of Nature, ideas that are also echoed in their titles, such as Dialectics, Primary Energy, and Inter+Outer+Infinite. In Dialectics, made with graphite on paper, the artwork calls for multiple observations. Call it an optical illusion; the work seems to reveal itself differently every time, making it an object of intrigue.
Midday Night by artist Yogesgwaran
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Yogeshwaran on the other hand, explores human emotion, resilience, strength, and the expressive possibilities of form. He transforms industrial materials like bronze, steel, and iron into forms that appear to float, rotate, or move through space. In one of his works, Midday Night, made with cotton steel, the sculpture captures a moment of celestial eclipse. “The spiralling, concentric metal bands represent the orbital motion of the cosmos, while the two polished central spheres embody the sun and moon becoming one,” he says.
With Kannan’s steel work, Ramki Ravi’s paper work, Ramesh N’s woodcuts and etchings, Surya S’s mixed-media works, Mani Murugesan’s graphite explorations and Yogeshwaran V’s sculptures, the exhibition looks at material not merely as a medium, but as a carrier of memory, observation, and experience. Across these practices, materials are cut, layered, welded, etched and shaped, taking on meanings that extend beyond their physical qualities.
Material Memoir is currently on Artiform, Mylapore till October 31. The sculptures are priced at ₹30,000 onwards.
