Commissioned sculpture complements and comments

A COMMISSIONED artwork by Sri Lankan-born, Sydney-based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran has been unveiled at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

The scuplture work titled Seated Figure/Self Portrait with Interchangeable Head 2024 was created in response to English artist Nicholas Chevalier’s Buddha’s Renunciation 1884, which is part of the gallery’s collection.

Nithiyendran said he was interested in the work’s complex identity being made in colonial Australia, painting in a style imitating European traditions and depicting a story that came from India 2000 years ago.

The works will be displayed side by side.

“At the Art Gallery of Ballarat, we are committed to commissioning works that make a new statement, while also complementing our permanent collection of more than 11,500 works,” gallery director Louise Tegart said.

“In this case, we were fortunate to have generous donors Michael Combs and Adam Haddow support us in securing this important piece, which provides a complex, contemporary response to a work from the 1880s.

“We thank Michael and Adam for their commitment to the arts and we are delighted to add Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran to our list of respected permanent collection artists.”

Nithiyendran is known for his uses of the symbolism of gods, deities and idols, and has an interest in sculptural practices emerging from Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity.

The work will be on display until 2 February 2025.