Description
Bursting with energy and life force, this visual cornucopia celebrates the work of Sri Lankan Australian sculptor and painter, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, one of Australia’s most prominent and sought-after contemporary artists. His exuberant ceramic idols and installations gleam with vivid impossible-to-ignore immediacy, provoking and stimulating audiences as he explores the politics of sex, gender and religion.
Continually playing with form, materiality and scale, Ramesh has set new benchmarks in the field of ceramics. This highly anticipated monograph catalogues over 500 pieces in his signature neo-expressionist style. The rough-edged playfulness of his animated beings will appeal to both established collectors and seekers of the unconventional.
The limited edition comes with a signed copy of the book with purple sprayed edges and an editioned bronze statue by the artist presented in a signed clamshell box.
Book with sprayed edges: 290 x 215 mm
Bronze sculpture: 150 x 140 x 30 mm, approx. 3kg
Clamshell box: 315 x 240 x 100 mm
Limited edition of 100.
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran is the youngest artist in the history of the National Gallery of Australia to hold a solo exhibition. Aged 32, Ramesh has been on a rapid professional trajectory. He has made significant and impressive contributions to contemporary art, and has delivered major artworks in museums, biennales and multi-art centres, both nationally and internationally. Ramesh has set new benchmarks for scale and materiality in the field of ceramics, while positioning difficult and complex discussions about gender, race and colonialism within artistic contexts. He is also a highly regarded and influential academic, with a part-time tenured positional at the University of New South Wales. His compelling work has been celebrated industry-side with a number of prestigious awards, prices and fellowships.
Ramesh is regularly featured as one of the leading artistic practitioners of his generation, being promoted to the public in a diverse range of print, online and television mediate related to art, culture and fashion.
Jaklyn Babington is the Director of a new, multi-site contemporary art museum opening in NSW in late 2024. Working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country 2015-2021, she was the Senior Curator, Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Jaklyn's recent curatorial projects include Jordan Wolfson: Body sculpture and Patricia Piccinini: Every heart sings. Notable exhibitions include Contemporary worlds: Indonesia (2019); Jess Johnson & Simon Ward: Terminus (2018); Angelica Mesiti: Five video works (2018) and Hyper Real (2017-2018). In 2017, Jaklyn curated Ramesh Nithiyendran: Mud Men at the NGA.
