Highlighting problems through truck as medium

When painter-sculptor M Sovan Kumar showcased his “The Truck Project” for the first time in 2007, he never thought that his work would bring him so much appreciation. The project is a package of a series of paintings and sculptures created by the popular artist to highlight the modern day problems using the image of a truck as a medium.

“All my creations, both paintings and sculptures, under the truck project have been hugely appreciated wherever they were displayed. It is really a wonderful feeling,” the Bhubaneswar-based artist said as he talked to Deccan Herald in the drawing room of his home which looks as artistic and elegant.

He has already done nearly 100 paintings and sculptures under the project which have been displayed in different exhibitions and shows across the country. Some of them were solos. At a recent collective exhibition he and his painter-wife Helen Brahma recently held in Bhubaneswar, Sovan’s  work “The Load of Fire” attracted a lot of attention.  The eight-foot-high painting displayed a truck carrying wooden logs in the backdrop of a burning forest.

The attractive painting with a truck carrying wooden logs from rapidly depleting forests which ultimately destroys the environment and ecology was hugely appreciated as it reflected a common sight on the roads these days. The painting was accompanied by a small ceramic sculpture of the truck with the logs which was also created by the 46-year-old artist, an alumni of B K College of Arts and Crafts in Bhubaneswar. The artist has done his masters in fine arts from the prestigious Banaras Hindu University besides an advance course in ceramic sculpture from an institute in China.

His other popular work under the truck project include a painting that shows a vehicle carrying a large number of people. It showcased the problem relating to displacement because of industrialisation and urbanisation. There was a painting on 2008 Mumbai terror attack. It depicts a truck carrying the picture of a burning hotel that was heavily damaged by the shocking terror mayhem.

“The main objective behind the truck project was to highlight the present day problems which include displacement of people for various reasons, pollution and forest degradation and, of course, the impact of rapid globalisation as well as the menace of terrorism,” he said.

According to Sovan what inspired him to go for the truck project was a real picture on the road while he was traveling through a mining belt in  Odisha. “In 2005, I was traveling through the mining belt of Joda in the tribal-dominated Keonjhar district when I came across an interesting sight of hundreds of trucks loaded with minerals standing on the roadside. Commuters were facing lot of difficulties because of the presence of the loaded trucks. It was there the idea of the truck project was born,” said the talented artist.

Interestingly, there were no takers for the wonderful artwork when The Truck Project had its maiden display in New Delhi in 2007. “I found it difficult to get a gallery for my exhibition in the national capital as gallery owners were not keen for paintings with a truck as the main subject. Somehow, I managed to get a place. And when the exhibition became a hit on the first day itself, all rushed to me to have a show,” he said. As many as 30 pieces of paintings were sold on the first day.

If Sovan was fascinated by trucks, his equally talented wife Helen’s inspiration has been the Chausathi Yogini temple on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The temple-- unknown when compared to other   popular  temples in Bhubaneswar, considered to be the temple city of eastern India-- represents the Chausathi or the 64 incarnations of Devi or the Goddess.

She has done a lot of paintings relating to the figures in the temple during the last one decade which had been on display in various shows and exhibitions both within the state and outside. “I was impressed by Chausathi Yogini temple as I love to work on woman’s identity which is prominently reflected in the temple figures. Moreover, the temple had the patronage of one of the queens which was another attraction for me,” said the 39-year-old painter, also a former student of B K College of Arts and Crafts. Her forte is textile painting.

She currently works on the “Vahana” or the vehicles of the 64 Yoginis (goddesses). In fact, her and Sovan’s recent collective exhibition in Bhubaneswar prominently displayed Helen’s Vahana series of paintings which were well appreciated by visitors.

The artist couple lamented that there had been a shortage of museums for contemporary arts in the country. Majority of the museums are for modern arts. “In other countries, for example in China, a lot of importance is being given for promotion of contemporary arts. But this is lacking in our country. Even a small country like Macedonia is having more contemporary art museums than India. It is certainly regrettable,” said Sovan.

The couple are setting up their own contemporary art museum at a village called Kanti near Pipli, a small town a few km away from Bhubaneswar. “We have already acquired one and half acres of land for the project,” Sovan said.