A muse like no other

Many artists have muses but sculptor SM Radhakrishnan’s muse is unique. His muse is a boy from the Santhal tribe named Musui, whom he met in 1975 when the artist was studying art in Shantiniketan. And Musui since then has featured in every work of the artist.

Radhakrishnan says, “Musui is my age and I introduced him to my college faculty and he became the model for many students in my college. At that time he was somebody whom you react to instantly when you see him. He had a very traditional Indian figure — the serene, idealistic, traditional Indian figure like a classical art form.”

Radhakrishnan created a head Musui in college and took it along with him when he shifted to Delhi and has always worked with the head. “Musui becomes my angel and devil.” The artist is still in touch with Musui. Though the artist says, “Musui obviously has aged and changed but my character that I always work with hasn’t and I don’t think it ever will.”

And some time thereafter Radhakrishnan created a counter-part of Musui — Maiya. “I realised that Musui was incomplete without the female counterpart. So Maiya and Musui are one, and not two separate entities.” Radhakrishnan’s sculptures always depict movement.

He says, “I have booked three gallery spaces at the Jehangir. And my current works will portray the process of movement of people from one point to the other.” All these works will be available for Rs5 lakh to Rs75 lakh.

After this exhibition, Radhakrishnan will be busy working on a huge sculpture that will be installed in Shantiniketan in 2011 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Ravindranath Tagore. “It will be a 15 feet sculpture of a student in Shantiniketan of the Mohenjodaro era,” explains Radhakrishnan.

Catch the exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery from January 25 to 31.