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Komu, Riyaz
Riyas Komu received accolades for his work at The Eighth Harmony Show 2003 and bagged the 'Harmony Excellence Award for Emerging Artist of the Year' at the show.
His work titled 'Traveller' reflected a certain avant-garde trend of imagery. The 'Harmony Excellence Award for Emerging Artist of the Year' was instituted in 1998. The award is given annually to emerging talent under the age of 35 years participating in the show. This year about 35 artists under 35 years were selected for the show. Riyas Komu was among the two artists to receive the 'Harmony Excellence Award. The award carries with it a purse of Rs.1 lakh. The panel of judges consisted of eminent personalities namely, Dr. Sarayu Doshi, Mrs. Parmeshwar Godrej, Mr. Harsh Goenka, Mrs. Mala Singh, Mr. Dilip De, Mr. Vickram Sethi, the curator of the Show and Mrs. Tina Anil Ambani, as its chairperson.
Within a short span of time, the Mumbai-based artist has left an indelible mark on the art scene. His career graph has shown impressive growth and he has been constantly asserting and pushing himself with his strong body of work. Riyas Komu's first solo show was held at Sakshi gallery in December 2002. Apart from his select solo shows, Komu has become a familiar name in art circles owing to his participation in a number of prominent group shows.
At his Sakshi solo show, Komu for the first time showed sculptures. These were hung on the walls instead of being placed on pedestals. This was so because he took these (sculptures) as an extension of his paintings. The five sculptures were made from wood and then burnt selectively resulting in a coal-finish.
The 32-year-old artist was particularly noticed for political overtone in his work. His paintings, to put it in his words, carried a protest symbol one way or the other. He remarked: "I strongly feel it is my duty to be political. I believe that my paintings should look back at the viewer rather than just tell a story or hang on the wall."
Hailing from Kerala, Komu arrived in Mumbai in 1992. He then joined the JJ School of Art after dropping out from final year of BA Literature. The decision to make painting his career came only after he had spent a few years at the JJ School in the company of contemporaries like Jitish Kallat, Bose Krishnamachari, Justin Ponmany and Girsh Dahiwale.
Komu is keen on sort of "ringing alarm bells" about the explosive urban situation through his art. His work refers to the paradoxes of the urban situation where on one hand, there is the glamour and on the other, abject poverty. He paints with compassion and cynicism. There is some amount of dejection and anguish yet his work reflects hope.
Burning urban issues like angry Indians resorting to violence upset him not only as a painter but also as an individual. There is anger at the workplace, anger at home, aggression and frustration on the streets, and it is getting harder to rein it in. And giving a different connotation to anger, Riyas Komu made a study of angst among the people of Mumba city. "There are no 'isms' for youngsters any more. In the 70s, political and social beliefs (student unions and communism) gave them hope. Today, in the absence of any role model, youngsters have no space to vent their anger or frustrations," he found out
One traces his present concerns to his family. His father's politically leanings must have influenced him. It's not just the desolation of the downtrodden that Komu brings through his work. He also brings out the carefree attitude of a certain section of society. He wants to alleviate those who have an endless energy to survive, to overcome disasters even while applauding the strength of the people to just carry on and lead an unconditional life. In the midst of a metropolis that carries on despite innumerable hurdles and thrives despite biggest of disasters, Komu's work is a tribute to the spirit of those who survive against all odds.
The artist lives and works in Mumbai
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