Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran is one of Australia’s most exciting contemporary artists, so it’s only right and proper that he has a brand new solo show opening just in time for Sydney unlocking.
The Guardians opens at Zetland’s Sullivan and Strumpf gallery on October 14 and will run through to November 13, transforming the ground floor space into a surreal mythological playground of incredible creatures sculpted in ceramic and bronze.
Some of these guardians will tower over us, others will see us eye-to-eye, but knowing Sri Lankan-born Nithiyendran’s playfully subversive work, all will be magical to behold. Drawing on the imagery of ritualistic icons designed to protect from evil, their arrival is the perfect way to ward off the bad mojo of the last 18 months. “
The guardian figure’s allusions to ideas around regeneration, renewal and even collapse are particularly pertinent in our current global climate defined by social, environmental and public health shifts and upheaval,” he says. These curious creatures also reflect his fascination with emojis, zoology and queer imagery.