Timeless Art

Description

ABOUT THE BOOK
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Poosapati Parameshwar Raju from Hyderabad in South India is a calligrapher, artist, designer and researcher. Essentially based on the tradition of writing with a kalam (reed pen dipped in ink for inscribing) or pen-nib his work is a celebration of the art of hand-written words. In finely inscribed text, letters, alphabets, and markings; his aesthetics revolve around the spiritual and religious. In an abstract oeuvre with just a few minimalist strokes, Parameshwar is able to portray a wide spectrum of icons, epics, mythology and characters. Coloured by his study of the Vedas (ancient Indian texts), a passion for history and documentation, and knowledge of rituals and folklore; the work reflects the artist’s fine hand and his technical expertise. Countless deities, rituals, narratives of Ramayanam and Bhagavatam as well as symbols of various faiths, in many distinct scripts and languages with their attributes and emblems are re-presented in his art.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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Born in 1961 at Vandrum, Andhra Pradesh, Poosapati Parameshwar Raju spent his childhood in different Indian cities where his father, an army officer, used to get posted. A meritorious student, he received a BFA and an MFA in Applied Art from the Government School of Art and Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University respectively, both in Aurangabad, and worked in the advertising industry for a while before taking to practicing art fulltime. Based on his study and research of Indian iconography and spiritual and ceremonial culture, the work in minimal aesthetics appears in calligraphic series and motifs. Themed around the sacred and the meditative, his calligraphic notations and iconic graphics traverse both the traditional and contemporary terrains. Executed with sophistication, using nibs and pens of different sizes, his simple forms in minimal colour bring alive the epics and narratives associated with different faiths including Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity as well as numerical designs and yantras. Recipient of a State Award from Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, his work has been exhibited in solo and group shows at Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Baroda; at the Kochi Muziris Biennale in India, at the 5th International Biennale in Beijing and also in Germany. A retrospective spanning Parameshwar’s various series at the Museum of Sacred Art in Belgium is on the cards. He has lectured and conducted workshops at different art colleges in India, and his work has been published. The artist. who lives in Hyderabad and works from his studio in the city, is currently working to set up a Foundation for Fine Arts and Crafts, and create prototypes of designed articles, and facilitate research and documentation.