Riyas Komu

Born 1971, Kerala, India Lives and works in Mumbai and Kerala, India Riyas Komu earned his MA in Fine Arts from the Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, in 1999, and in 2007 he attracted attention in Europe with his exhibition at the Venice Biennial. The artist’s oeuvre spans several media and genres, but his primary vehicles are sculpture, photography, and video installations. Strong political undercurrents are a distinctive feature of Komu’s art. Affected by his father’s political views and his own experiences as an active member of political groupings, his works are not content to simply relate a story or hang on a wall; they look back at the spectator. Komu’s works often refer to India as a country of paradoxes where immense wealth and indescribable poverty cohabit side by side. In recent years India has acquired a new status as a giant in Asia by dint of its continued economic and population growth, exceeded only by China. But even though the country has experienced economic growth, it performs less well in terms of standard indicators for development; here the country ranks alongside low-income countries. Through his art, Komu calls attention to the complex nature of India, his works reflecting both hope and despondency. Komu is also a passionate fan of football. In the work Left Legs Series from 2008 he manages to bring together his fascination with sports and his political awareness. In a series of sculptures of strangely amputated left legs made of concrete, steel, and salvaged teak from Kerala – his native region – he imitates the legs of real football players. The legs feature complex carvings and surreal anatomical details, and are flayed to reveal sinews, muscles, and ligaments The artist refers to how such athletic legs may feel sometimes, pitting the proud and heroic against the weakened and damaged. The work was created in connection with a series of works entitled The Iraq Project; a series which focuses on how Iraqi football has been caught up in political power struggles during the reign of Saddam Hussein and during the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. Komu has created an ambivalent work: by referring to the athlete’s body, it incarnates pain and loss for every victory and every defeat. By using symbolism and iconographies of varying kinds, the artist offers his spectators a creative space for contemplation. Stine Kleis Hansen

Riyas Komu Left Leg Series, 2008