In his maximalist approach to his craft, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran has habitually explored themes relating to deconstructing colonization, gender, South Asian cultural practices and religious symbolism. Born in Sri Lanka and currently based in Sydney Australia, Ramesh Mario is a multidisciplinary artist known for his bold sculptural works that foreground South Asian imagery and cultural symbols. In this in-depth interview with ARTRA Magazine, Ramesh gives us deeper insight into his relationship with Sri Lanka and his multifaceted approach to exploring cultural narratives through his art. He details his wide range of artistic inspirations, from the ancient tradition of Hindu and Buddhist sculptural forms to the pop-culture phenomena of Hello Kitty, his experiences creating large-scale installations and sculptural exhibits across the globe and shares a teaser for his forthcoming solo project in Sydney. 

Q | What are your influences when it comes to art? 

A | Seemingly disconnected interests influence my– at times –maximalist approach to art-making. I am obsessed with vernacular sculpture from South Asia, particularly histories and practices associated with Hindu and Buddhist sculptural forms. I love speculative animation such as CGI. I’m also engaged by the proposition of working with sculptural materials in ways that defy expectations. In circling back to this idea of influence, I quite consciously proceed with what I refer to as a kind of creative ‘flattening’ when I approach various references and materials. I try to ignore elitist views that contemporary art needs to be self-referential, mystified and removed from life. Working with suites of imagery and materials that traverse regional, temporal and experiential boundaries seems, perhaps counter intuitively, to be the most cohesive way to critically reflect on the conditions of life in 2024. Everything influences me. With my work, there’s an implication that the chaotic synthesis of Hello Kitty, Gandharan Buddhist imagery, Asian water monitors, synthetic hair and all-knowing third eyes and many other things could be considered mundane. 

Idols of Mud and Water, Tramway, 2023

Q | You’re known to explore themes of gender, race and religion in your works, why do you find it important to challenge dominant discourses such as those through your art?

A | I am constantly considering the politics of representation, and even self-representation within my work. However, more recently, I’ve become less interested in the idea or gesture of ‘challenging’ dominant discourse. Presenting counter-narratives is not creatively appealing to me. Generally speaking, I value the concept of pluralism and gesture to a multiplicity of narratives in my work. Presenting narratives parallel to dominant discourses feels more interesting. I could speak in more detail, but on a very basic level, presenting ‘sculpture’ as something unfixed and multiple seems to be a metaphor for these broader concerns. There is an exquisite corpse sentiment reflected in my upcoming exhibition. Many of the sculptures are presented in modular form. Their faces and limbs are potentially interchangeable. 

Q | How has your connection to Sri Lanka impacted the art you create?

A | I was born in Colombo, Sri-Lanka in 1988. My father is of Tamil descent while my mother is Burgher. We moved to Sydney in 1989. My connection to Sri Lanka can be framed in relation to various experiences common to the diaspora. However, there is also something dry and maybe intellectual that defines my artistic and personal connection to Sri Lanka. My explorations of religious sculptural iconographies are connected to my Sri Lankan ancestry. Hindu, Christian and Buddhist cultures have coexisted and been intertwined in Sri Lanka since the introduction of Christianity in the 1st century and Buddhism in the 3rd. There are many examples of syncretism between these schools of thought and philosophies which I find endlessly fascinating. 

Q | What was your creative process like when conceptualizing and creating your solo exhibition Idols of Mud and Water (2023)? 

A | The installation at Tramway was my most ambitious sculptural installation to date. It was my first solo presentation in the UK. I dramatically populated Tramway’s main gallery with a melange of multi-limbed, fertility, protector, joker and warrior figures. A giant Guardian made from cob (mud and straw) featured prominently in the middle of a partially built fountain, whilst across the space a number of hand-formed, glazed ceramics stood. They referenced a range of archetypes, from fertility deities, warriors and protector figures. A large ceramic sculpture at the head of the space incorporates figurative traditions ranging from early Gandharan Buddhism to Hinduism, echoing the ways in which figurative languages have merged over time. I worked closely with senior curator, Claire Jackson and an expert team of skilled technicians to create this work. The environment for the sculptures was made in collaboration with Glasgow’s network of makers and architectural specialists. I made various sculptures in Sydney and Melbourne from ceramic and bronze. The audience journey was a major aspect of this new installation. They explored, inhabited and interacted with the installation via a series of meandering pathways and intimate spaces. The performative aspect of the sculptures were heightened by the introduction of mist and fog into the space. 

Earth Deities, Dark Mofo Festival, Tasmania, 2021

Q | What do you find most compelling about experimenting with scale, such as the Earth Deities installations you did for the Dark Mofo festival in Tasmania in 2021?

A | As an artist, It’s interesting to consider scale as an expressive medium. Themes around placemaking, colonialism, gender, religion, figuration and various other things become relevant. There are also material and technical challenges that emerge when working ambitiously with scale. In recent times, I was somewhat self-conscious about my propensity towards large sculpture. However, channeling non-Western narratives and paradigms around monumental sculpture seemed to be somewhat of an antidote to this feeling.

Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Seated Figure with Blue Face I, The Self Portrait and the Masks, 2024

Q | You have an exciting upcoming solo exhibition in September titled The Self Portrait and the Masks. Could you tell me more about the concept behind that collection of works? 

A | My upcoming exhibition will feature paintings, ceramic and bronze sculptures and works on paper. I continue my explorations of contemporary and historical idolatry and figurative sculpture and the material languages associated. I’ve also spent some time considering the motif of the mask within contemporary and historical contexts with more detail than I have in the past. Costume props, digital avatars and various mythologies that reference shape-shifting and multiplicity are referenced. The show is titled after the central work in the forthcoming exhibition. This central work is a large, multi-part, painted bronze figure. The arms are outstretched and he is surrounded by a constellation of wall-mounted bronze masks that were originally made from cardboard. I perceive him as a transcendent figure in deep contemplation. His eyes are closed! The closed eyes no doubt also gestures to mortality. In some ways, this work, as well as others in the exhibition, draws inspiration from the diverse regional histories and visual languages connected to reclining and seated Buddhist figures. It also features a cast of my face which is something I have not done before!

Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran (b. 1988) is a Sri-Lankan born contemporary artist based in Sydney, Australia who explores global histories and languages of figurative representation in his works. He has specific interests in South Asian forms and imagery as well as politics relating to idolatry, gender, race and religion. His work has been presented in museums, festivals, multi-art centres and the public domain. This has included presentations at the National Gallery of Australia, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Dhaka Art Summit, Art Basel Hong Kong and Dark Mofo festival. In 2019, he received a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship which recognised his outstanding talent and exceptional professional courage. This same year he presented work in the largest historical survey of LGBTQ Asian Art at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre. His first monograph RAMESH was published and internationally distributed by Thames & Hudson in 2022. His work is held in various public collections including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, The Art Gallery of Western Australia, The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, The Ian Potter Museum of Art and the Shepparton Art Museum. Nithiyendran is represented by Sullivan + Strumpf, Sydney + Singapore and Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai. His latest solo exhibition The Self Portrait and The Masks opened in Sydney, Australia on September 12 2024 and will be on display at Sullivan + Strumpf Sydney until 12 October 2024.

Written by Kavinu Cooray