Sikh-inginspiration

Adelaide artist Daniel Connell's work on Sikh portraiture continues to amaze

BYAVICHANDIOK

Achanceencounter,perhapsa rapport,mutual respect,anda wholenew vista wasopened up for DanielConnellin his career asan artist.

\'{lh.ileridingin ataxiinAdelaide,Daniel saw something specialinhis Sikh driver Laklwir Singh andaskedif he couldpaint his portrait.

That firstportraitbecame thefirstof many,andtoday,Daniel hascemented areputationfor his for hisformidable portraitureof Sikh figures. Hepresentshis workagainat chis year'sAdelaideFringe 2017.

With degreesinSpanishandL atin AmericanStudies,a Grad.Dip.in Education,Mastersin VisualArts,working towardhis PhD,andlearningHindiasweU, Danielis certainlynoslouchacademicaU)'· Nineyearsworkingasaschoolteacher teaching Spanish gothiminvolved in social andcommunityorganisations. But with his love of painting,hehas been afreelance artist since 2007.Andnow, recognised worldwide,hehas presented in Glasgow,Sheffield,Frankfurt,London andthe US andhis works were shown in theprestigious Kochi-Muziris Biennalein India.

WhileDanielhasbeen paintingforas longas be can remember,hisinterestin Indiawasarousedwhilebarelyateenager whichled to his interestin the writings of Gandhi andTagore.Onhis first visitto India in2008,herecalls feeling"utterly at home,in a crazy sort ofway".

Helivedin Rajasthanforthreeyears and whiletherepainted aportrait of Greg Chappel1,who was coach of the Rajasthan Royalsat d1attime.This paintingwas selected fortheprestigiousDougMoran Portrait Prize.

Workingwith transport workersin Australia,andfromtheSikhs inthenord1 tothelabomers ind1esoud1 in lndia, Daniel's paintingstryto capturethe dignity of workerswhoroilwid1dieswearof theirbrow. Being "adeeplyreligiousand spiritualman"hisworkseemstohonour theessential teachingofGuru Nanak -that workis centralto an expressionof faith. Heseesinthetaxidrivershard-working youngmen,proud ofwhothey a.re and in theirbeliefs,proudto wearaturban and putthemselvesoutthere to bejudged.It isthissenseofbraverythatdrivesDaniel tocontinuewithhis portraitswhichhe seesasamessage,standingupforthe immigrants.He uses A4 sheetsof paper stucktogether with cape comake alarge canvas forhisworks.Thisisdeliberate asir canbeseenasa metaphorofthefragility ofnew immigrants inanewland.

DanielConneUsaidatthestartofour meetingdiat"theexhibitionisdedicatedto ManmeetAlisher,the taxi-driver brutally murderedrecentlyinBrisbane".Onclisplay arehuge charcoal portraits,someoils and othersmallerportraits.Anovelpartis Daniel ach1ally paintingonthespot.The workbeingpaintedduringmy visit wasof GurinderjitSingh,afairlyrecentmigrant who isalso at.'lxidriver.

Gurinderjirwasfullof praisefor Daniel saying,"Heis averygoodperson motivatedto w1derstandmyreligion.We aretryingtohelpthehomeless peoplein thecityandareworkingonthat."

In Februarythis year, RajpaJSingh Sidhu,anod1ertaxi driver,was robbedat knife-pointattheendof longshiftoutside hishome.He toowill beoneof tbe subjectstohavehis portrait paintedduring the course oftheexhibitionwhich runs until2 Apr:il.

When asked about the future Daniel said thatheexpectstocontinuetomake ' bigger picturesand portraits'. "Artisaninvestigationthatnever stops,"hesays. "Indiataughtmethat."

Over thelast twoyears,bis work has moved from just making picturesto actual representationroauthoritiesand advocacy on behalfof new migrantscoveringawide spectrumof theirneeds.It'snowonder that hehasendearedhimself rothe Sikh community.Theyareindeedfortunate tohavesomeonesoengagingandgifted sympathetictotheircause.

BYASHWINI SASEEDARAN

The calming crash of waves against shores of speckled sand guietly engulfs the hum of local traffic and beachgoers as laughter drifts with the cool breeze, and conversations pause at an impressive sculpture.

Overlooking the never-ending beaury of the Indian Ocean and stretches of sand aticonic Cottesloe Beach, Perth, an intriguing sculprure has been delicately and thoughtfully installed.

Featured among 78 otherworks ar the annual Sculpnu:e by the Sea exhibition, Column of Sound is a thought provoking and conversation starting sculpmre.

Announced winner of tl1e $50,000 Rio Tinto Sculpture Award, multidisciplinary artist Harsha Va.rdhan Durugadda has rightfully earned his place as a rising virmoso in the artistic community.

Column of Sound stands as a unigue form, sculpted specifically using audio from the site's location. Aftera painstaking process of recording audio from the plaoes of land surrounding the sculpture's site, the arcist conceives a physical representacion of the sounds. He constructs his artand adjusts the sculpture based on the rhythms and movements heard. The final product stands as a profound transformation between audio and visual realms.

Having received the Andrea Streeton Memorial Invitation at Sculpnu:e by the Sea, Bondi 2016, Durugadda's explorations in the perceptions of audio and visual certainly question the normative approach by imploring critical and imaginative tl1inking.

Sensory concepts are commonly interpreted singularly, as smell is correlated to the nose, sound is parallel to ears and touch is mutually exclusive to feel. Durugadda has instead achieved the almost unthinkable in his feat by purposely disrupting common perceptions and inviting onlookers to be a part of this sensory breakthrough as be forges binaries bet\veen otl1erwise opposing senses and notions.

''\Ve are used to whatever is already in Physics books. People are not ready to touch or feel sound. I'm working to change perceptions and disrurb people's thinking of life. When they touch the sculpnu:e, they touch the sound of tl1e site," explains Durugadda.

"It is never the same sculpture in visual, the slices of marble pieces are different each time. The sculpmre changes according to space."

Appropriately situated at the forefront of an oceanic landscape where tlie worlds of nature and artificial construction collide, Column of Sound is a deep expression of nature inspired art coupled with anthropomorphic ideologies.

Born in Andhra Pradesh, India and now based in New Delhi, Durugadda completed his Masters in Visual Arts and began practisingwith a number of different mediums. Experimenting with performance art, video, prints and sculptures, he then ventured out of the nation successfully holding exhibitions and publishingwork in London and here in Australia.

In its 13"' year, Sculpture by the Sea has become a household name as perhaps the world's largest annual outdoor sculpmre exhibition. Each year the beautifully captivating shores of popular Cottesloe beach become home to a ternporary sculpturepark with local, national and international artists showcasing their visionary arr.

Attracting hundreds of thousands co

The eventinvites the public to appreciate and participate in contemporary art in a physical and inreractive manner as all are welcomed to view tl1e pieces at their own pace and create their own imaginative perspectives.

"[Sculpture by the Sea] is a great oppornmity and a greatway to judge different works. It is a great benchmark for other organisations and especially for yom1ger artists working alongside more experienced, senior artists," says Durugadda. "[fhe win] is such an overwhel1ni.ngwelcome, 1 was so surprised. This is a great step for my career and such a confidence booster. I have received the highest reception for my work herein Australia."

Apart from being the major prize winner, Column of Sound will soon be insrnlled in

When they

the town of Busselton through the efforts of Rio Tinto.

touch the sculpture, they touch the sound of the site ,, its shores, tl1e free outdoor exhibition has people pouring in all times of day and night, from residents in Perth to tourists and even local AFL football stars.

''As an emerging artist, I was hiring most things before. Now I want to build up my studio and invest in tools thatwill allow me to continue doing my work," reveals Durugadda. "1 will be applying to be exhibited in Bondi next year, as well as applying for exhibitions elsewhere in the world."

Follo\ving his success in Australia, Durugadda encourages aspiringartists of Indian oi:igin to venmre further than pursuing the pattern of being doctors or engineers.

'1 was more welcomed here than at home in India," says Durugadda. "Usually in Asian counrries they go for senior artists and onlythey end up receivingawards. [Australia] is open for everybody to engage with."

SculpturebytheSea, Cottesloe1%7,4, will beopentothepublicuntil20March2017