Sculpting a masterpiece

Solely an artist is capable of beholding the beauty possessed in mere wood and a common alloy. To create something out of nothing is what appeals to the eye and is defined as art. A Kolkata based sculptor, Sukanta Chowdhury, has won the Best Sculpture Award 2016 from Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata for his wood and brass sculpture ‘The Golden Crown’. The winning sculpture has a wood and brass pig wearing a crown standing on a tall chair/throne. ‘The Golden Crown’, is a surreal work of sculpture that portrays the sculptor’s thoughts on the misuse of authority by rulers around the world. 

“The Golden Crown’, is a depiction of power. I have tried to portray my thoughts on the current situation of the society where the crown is being misused,” explained Sukanta Chowdhury.

Another important sculpture of the artist is titled ‘Within the Claws,’ which imparts his understanding and protest against the disbanding of people from the outskirts of the city for construction purposes. Over the years many city dwellers have been forced to evacuate certain areas and move away to villages for constructions of flyovers, shopping malls and several such huge projects. The sculpture shows a frog being pulled over by a crane which implies the similar effect created by the use of bulldozers and cranes on real life evacuation.

Chowdhury had completed his Bachelor in Visual Arts from Government College of Art and Craft in the year 2007. The sculptor had also bagged several other awards in the past, including All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society Awards, 2010 and State Academy Award, Kolkata, 2009. His works are based on various themes, but mainly focuses on the socio-political affairs of the world. The artist has been working on ‘forms’ and ‘creations’ for the past two years.