Sandliya Theuerkauf’s sculptural-relief works are deeply embedded in the experience of nature, both in their material construction and visual form. For him, observing and making is a constant process of learning; his art is fed by the walks he takes in the wilderness and the deliberate attention he pays to all the animate and inanimate elements of a landscape he finds himself in. He celebrates the moment of awareness and communion with nature; the pause, and nowness of being that he chooses to share with viewers, rather than build external narratives. When gathering raw material as well, he follows instinctive responses to his surroundings, rejecting purposeful search and planned outcomes. Working with his hands is central to the translation of these layered experiences, and over the years his earthy, handcrafted expressions have become open to interpretation and meaning in different contexts.

...An artist by intuition rather than by training, Sandilya’s practice revolves around the act of sharing. For him, the material always dictates what he makes. The softness and hardness, the colouring, the subtle and obvious differences between scaly, fibrous, smooth or ridged appearance; all this directs the design of an object. However, the works are not only about the surface or medium. Through his process, Sandilya explores profoundly philosophical questions about life, and his relationship to the land he inhabits. “Is there a way to see, and listen in a deeper way, a more intense way?... Is there a possibility of looking at something without images?... I’m inhibited in my relating to a flower because of all the images {and labels} I have about the flower. Is there a way to relate to it for what it is?”, he asks. The works have a capacity to draw viewers beyond the attractive visual vocabulary into a place of contemplation, touching upon the memories embedded within the landscape itself, particularly relevant in today’s world when humans are increasingly alienated from nature.

Each sculptural piece offers a meticulous arrangement of vegetal matter, shaped in patterns that play with symmetry and asymmetry, geometric and organic abstraction. In his works with tree-bark, Sandilya brings focus to the intrinsic botanical characteristics of various trees and the textures, colours and type of surfaces that often go unnoticed in the blur of urban living. His other artworks become experimental spaces that explore dimensional formations of twigs, thorns, seeds, dried vines and other natural material that he collects.

Sandilya attributes his perception and knowledge to his growing years in Kerala in the midst of nature, followed by his professional experience over time as an environmental educator and restoration ecologist. From making site-specific, temporary work within natural terrains and facilitating student and adult learning through creative installations, he made an organic shift to object-making and then exhibitions. With his foray into the world of art, his objectives continue to be rooted within a personal narrative of learning and sharing.

He currently lives and works in a farm on the outskirts of Bangalore.

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