From idea to installation: sculpture and creativity at the National Gallery of Modern Art

In this photo essay, we feature the amazing steel sculptures and enamel art by renowned artist Balan Nambiar, on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 180 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from an art festival, cartoon gallery, world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Bengaluru is hosting a brilliant exhibition this month, titled ‘Sculpting in Time: A Retrospective of Six Decades of Balan Nambiar.’ The 300-piece exhibition includes stainless-steel sculptures, enamels, sketches, water colours, photographs, and oil paintings.

Balan himself conducts tours of the exhibition for visitors; we will feature his creative insights in an interview for the second part of this photo-essay. The award-winning artist has also published dozens of academic articles on culture and art management.

The creative works cover a wide range of Balan’s personal artistic journey: documentation of rituals in Kerala, sculpture techniques in Germany, enamel art in Italy, and garden installations in Bengaluru. The multi-talented artist has received awards from the Government of Kerala, New Delhi Lalit Kala Akademi, and Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy.

Balan’s works have been displayed at Kala Kendra, Jaipur; Museum of Sacred Art, Durbuy, Belgium; NCPA, Mumbai; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Venice Biennale, Italy; and Hanover Industrial Fair, Germany. Travel, reading, dialogue with experts, and blending tradition with modern technologies are foundations of a creative mind, Balan explains.

Now what have you done today to document your journey and explore your artistic side?

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

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