Elanchezhiyan’s work transports you into memories of growing up in your own surroundings and into a world that evokes child-like wonder and nostalgia.

All of his sculptures exude energy. The Bull calf, Nandi, who is the divine guardian of Lord Shiva and also has a Sanskrit meaning of joy and satisfaction. The Nandi has been sculpted in geometrical form and exhibits the same emotion that an organic sculpture would bring to us.

Elanchezhiyan’s subjects are almost always caught in action; but frozen in time. His interest in animals, especially cattle, stem from his childhood in Tiruvarur. “My father is a farmer, and back in the day, we had a lot of cattle at home. Especially cows. I was always left with the job of bathing and grazing them”-the artist recalls fondly.

PROCESS

When looked at closely, smudged fingerprints can be seen running along the body of every figure.  “This is to redefine the texture of the figure. When we model the shape in wax, we do it with hands. The wax then melts when hot metal is poured over it,” says the artiste, adding that this is the Chola method of sculpting he has been following. But with an added touch. In his work, the fingertips that craft each sculpture remain with it, for posterity.