Inside Out

Apple is perhaps the one thing that’s influenced artist Prabhkar Singh the most through his work and career. Let’s not get too hasty in labeling him an Apple fan boy though. It’s always been the fruit,not technology that has appealed to Singh. “Apple has a beautiful,simple shape. Its simplicity has always drawn me. I began reading about the fruit and learned that in some cultures,it is considered a symbol of love,” he says. This got Singh started on his series of apple-themed sculptures. “For any artist,themes are a part of organic processes and are a lifetime’s work,” says Singh.

He uses scrap metal to give shape to his creations,having developed his own technique of processing and moulding metal. “I come from a rural area in Bhagalpur,Bihar. It was hard to fund sculpting in a farmers’ family,so I began to look for ways to use scrap material. But I give the material a new identity in my work,” he says.,but what he enjoys the most is monumental sculptures. One such creation is a permanent installation at Phoenix Marketcity,

Singh’s repertoire spans across several different styles and sizes of sculptures where he is also exhibiting his collection of figurative works till December 20. “The installation at the mall is a seven-foot apple sculpture near the entrance lobby. It’s hollow with a woman’s figure inside,” he says.

In fact,hollow sculptures are somewhat of a specialty with Singh. “There are two aspects to anyone and anything — the outer form and shape,which we use to identify them,and the inner personality that we can’t see. My hollow sculptures are usually an attempt to bring out what is hidden inside,” says Singh.

Singh works on his art at his studio at Awanti Kalagram in Mulshi,giving shape to sculptures that can be seen across the city,such as the sports complex at Balewadi. However,he dreams of a day when he might create a sculpture garden like the ones in New York,shares Singh,who also visits Film and Television Institute of India to teach at the art direction and production department.