Mysore/Mysuru: City Sculptor Appaneravanda Kiran Subbaiah will be honoured with Vachana Chitra-Rachana Pithamaha M. Veerappa Datti Prashasti-2022 by the JSS Mahavidyapeetha.

To encourage artists who have achieved excellence in the field of visual arts, Satish Prafullachandra, son of Prafullachandra and the grandson of noted artist and founder of Mysore Toys Company M. Veerappa, has instituted the endowment award in the name of his grandfather. The award is being conferred on eminent and outstanding artists with annual awards since 2015.

For the year 2022, Kiran Subbaiah has been selected for the award that carries a cash prize of Rs. 68,000, a memento and a citation. Kiran is a skilled sculptor hailing from Parane village in Kodagu, now settled in Mysuru.

He studied sculpture at Chamarajendra Technical Institute (now Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts) and is known for creating multi-dimensional sculptures — a specialised genre which seems to be a single statue but actually has several more angles to it. Kiran’s sculpture is unique where each side is carved in such a way that the subject on one side does not interfere with the subjects on the other, yet the correlation is aesthetically brought out.

His unique feature is the creation of sculptures with two, three, four, or five dimensions in a single stone, which can be seen in a total of 212 sculptures, showcasing 655 different varieties. His house on near Highway Circle in Bannimanatap is a one-of-its-kind sculpture museum aptly named ‘Shilpaniketana.’

In 2021, Kiran was conferred with Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy Award.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Kiran Subbaiah expressed his happiness over the JSS Mahavidyapeetha bestowing this honour. “They had come to my ‘Shilpaniketana’ and were impressed with my work. I am glad that they have recognised my work and it always feels good to receive such a prestigious award. I have struggled, sacrificed and spent my 40 precious years in giving shapes to stones,” he said.

“So far, I have not even sold one single piece of stone or my work. I have now decided to open a Museum of my sculptures in my house compound on New Sayyaji Rao Road near Bamboo Bazaar and it will take four to five months. Many people, some having connections in Government, promised me a 5-acre land to set up the Museum in the past and even assured me of financial assistance to build the sculpture museum. But nothing materialised,” he said.