P R Daroz
Being born in a hereditary family of Goldsmiths my childhood memories and experiences are of observing as well as participating in the processes of jewelry making. However, between the two minerals, it was at an early age that I was pulled by the magnetism of clay. Fire is the common element between Jewelry and pottery. Both has a shared sensibility of intimacy and sacredness. Both has similar attributes to rituals and cultures in the society. Handling precious material of gold needs meticulous precision, I observed and imbibed those attributes from the family profession of goldsmithing and later applied it to my clay work. Through this corresponding synergy between goldsmithing and pottery, I perceived my vessel form as a body and ornamented it as a jeweler inherent in me.
My clay journey began with the craft of pottery that transcended into the art of pottery, further expanding into large scale architectural installations in public spaces.
Becoming a potter happened to be circumstantial for me, my first introduction to ceramics was when I got the scholarship in 1970, from Hyderabad Art college, to study ceramics in Baroda college of fine arts. At this time the department only had low temperature earthenware pottery programme. Very few artists chose to work in ceramic medium during this time.
By virtue of my art education (MSU,Vadodara), which was based on the fundamentals of appreciating the aesthetics of a form, I perceived pottery in an expressional way as an art form rather than as an object of function.
We had heard the stories about Korean potters and pottery, the honour, value and reverence they give to a ceramic object. In this line I pursued my conviction to give this new medium the value and respect in India as enjoyed parallelly by the practitioners of high art.
My conscience was awakened after seeing the pottery of British potter Hans Coper. Their sculptural appeal struck me at once. Its peculiar oriental charm reminded me of terracotta water carrier used by travellers in the deserts regions of India. They were different from routine classical shapes. I realized when a familiar form is kept upside down and joined to another thrown form, it creates a modernist image. This was the turning point for me. Pottery became more relatable for me from this point. After this I started to perceive a similar abstraction in the village pottery, the architectural monuments and in everyday metal vessels in India.
We were taught in the college the issues of authenticity for a modern Indian artist. As my teacher said “Granting that we have a cultural landscape that is phenomenally rich, it is only when we dig the soil afresh and plant our little saplings that we can add something to it.” It can be regarded as the nature of Modern Art. In that direction whatever I have been practicing it reflects my personality as an individual but at the same time they also carry the essence of non-personal bodies that has a shared identity. I draw immense inspiration from my cultural roots like traditional Andhra jewelry, head gears of Yakshagana performer, elements from Indian architectural monuments. The forms already existed but by just adding an extra dimensional element between surface, form and color, I could develop an individual visual language through them.
I came to Delhi in 1980 and since then I have been attracted to the city. From its monuments to the newly-built super structures, the ever-changing skyline inspires me to be more creative. I see a vessel form as a miniature architectural space. Particularly my warrior series which had influences of Buddhist stupa imageries and head gears series. More recently a geometric abstraction of the urban skyline is expressed through my Guardian series. The relationship between space and matter, the balance and proportion in an architectural structure is in coherence with pottery. In India fortunately, there is no dearth of creative architecture in public spaces. The terracotta temples of Bengal or the monuments of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh is a great example. They have the strength of giving an integrated statement of their surroundings of social, economic or political structures
About P R Daroz
A graduate of College of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad with a specialisation in ceramics from Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University Baroda, Daroz has worked as an artist for over 50 years. Daroz has been honored with the National Academy Award, by the Lalit Kala Academy, Delhi and was an elected Member of the prestigious International Academy of Ceramics, Geneva. SSVAD(Santiniketan society of visual art and design) felicitated Daroz for his contribution to the propagation and cause of ceramics in India. Daroz’s passion for innovative and experimental use of equipment, adaptation of new technologies to the Indian context and use of indigenous material have been a driving force in establishing many ceramic studios in several prestigious art institutes.
While having held over 17 solo exhibitions in India, Daroz has represented the country in numerous group exhibitions like the 4th World Ceramic Biennale- Incheon( Korea), 2nd Beijing Art Triennial- China, 3rd World Ceramic Triennial- Zagreb (Croatia), Potters Exhibition-Singapore and the OBIDOS International Biennale- Portugal. He has participated in many international artists’ workshops and camps in diverse countries like Mexico, Thailand, Spain, Singapore, Brunei, Istanbul, Egypt, Malaysia, Yugoslavia, besides all over India.
Daroz’s commissions for architectural ceramics are much sought after in both, the private residences and public spaces across India. Among the long list of his large scale ceramic Murals is the iconic portrait of Kriloskar at the SLK office in Bengaluru, and the Lohia Bhavan façade mural at Nelson Mandela Marg, New Delhi, installed in 2018 and 2016 respectively. While his mural ‘ ‘Gandhi in Champaran’ is installed in Gyan Bhawan Patna. Some of his ceramic art may be admired at Hotel Le Meridian and Hotel Clarence Guirgaon; Hotel Grand Mercure - Surya Palace Vadodara. Hotel Spice Island Chennai; Raheja Resort, Shalimar Hotel, Grand Hyatt and at Copper Chimney restaurant in Mumbai; the Chopsticks Restaurant in Delhi; Ashoka Restaurant in Nagpur; the Jewel of India Restaurant at Manhattan, New York and the Krishna Taj Residency in Hyderabad.
His works are in corporate collections such as Emami Ltd. Kolkata; Wadhwa Developers and Reliance Industries Mumbai; IFFCO Sadan and Hyatt Regency Hotel, Delhi; American Study Centre in Gurugram; Bayer’s Office, Transpek Industries, Sardar Patel Planetarium and Amigo Securities in Vadodara.
Pundole Art gallery has recently published a book on the life and works of P R Daroz titled ‘Fire in the Soul’.