G.R.Iranna

G.R.Iranna 
The Dead Smile 
Fiberglass And Cloth 
29/24/32 inch each (21 figures) 

G. R. Iranna : I need to take references for the exactitude of the visual form. Like the folds on the cloth, posture, colour etc which I may change in the process of painting. When you have chosen it, it becomes yours. 

On the internet I had seen a picture like this with everyone sitting steady and smiling for an arranged photograph, which is quite unreal in itself. That is what attracted me.

It is important that the whole event unfolds like a narrative before me. So I realized that in the background I needed the palanquin to give it a festive ambiance and a tiger jumping from behind suggesting action. I wanted celebration and thrill along with a tinge of cultural value- like a theatre unfolding.

I know the smile, the uniform, the tiger and the palanquin all appear like disunited elements. So, one stages them together to create one’s own story. The emotion and the involvement that evolve from this are more important. 

Born 1970, Sindgi, Bijapur, Karnataka, India
During his youth, Iranna studied in a Gurukul (a system of education where the student resides with the teacher) and lived in an ashram for almost seven years. This helped to form a strong connection to his cultural roots, which enters his work alongside his exploration of the antitheses of inherent dualities of the world. Iranna endeavors to translate an internal landscape onto tactile surfaces and aspects of Buddhist art influences are evident. Although he began painting oil on canvases, Iranna later developed his range of medium, embarking on his now primary use of tarpaulin.
The artist lives and works in New Dehli, India