Artists around the world are known to embark on quests to find an expression to their creativity and this may lead them to any corner of the world. One such artist whose quest brought him from the creative lanes of Greece to the sawdust-covered floors of Mysore's workshops is Eric Sakellaropoulos. His company Intarsia India, which began as a mere idea in Eric's mind 15 years ago, has now gained fame around the country for its intricate and conceptual wood inlay works. Intarsia India, now located in Bannimantap 'A' Layout, has its office near Ashoka Circle.
Eric Sakellaropoulos' creations have adorned the interiors of homes and offices of reputed industrialists and elites of the country including the Bajaj family in Pune, Preeti Ambani, President of Harmony Art Foundation and cousin of Anil Ambani, JK Tyres, Mamta Singhania and the like. SOM met Eric, who has designed the interiors of buildings in Lonavala, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai etc., with his beautiful intarsia works, at his Mysore office. Excerpts:
Shwetha: Where did your journey into the world of intarsia begin?
Eric Sakellaropoulos: My journey into the artistic world of marquetry or intarsia began in Greece. Born to Greek and French parents, I have lived in Greece, France and Canada before coming to India. I worked as the Assistant Curator from 1984 to 1988 at the Jewish Museum in Athens under Nikos Stavroulakis, who had collected more than 12,000 Jewish artefacts that reflected the history of Jewish people in Greece. Here I built seven permanent exhibition rooms and was also involved in conservation of embroidery and brocades. It was in this museum that I got involved in architectural design and furniture-making.
I learnt marquetry or intarsia wood inlay by working in my roommate's workshop in Athens. I later visited various workshops in Cairo, Barcelona and Indonesia, apart from Borobodur in Cambodia and Ajanta caves in India. In 1989, I left Greece and settled down in Montreal, Canada. Here I designed interior spaces, bars, restaurants etc., one of my well-known work being the wall panelling of the theological chapel at McGill which won me the American Institute for Architects Award. I also taught vocational training in wood working including marquetry and furniture design.
Shwetha: Tell us about your quest for intarsia artists in India.
Eric: In 1996, I came to Anegundi in Hampi with the purpose of setting up a design centre. There I found intarsia pictures in tourist shops but couldn't get proper information out of the sellers or tourist shop owners about the raw materials for creating wood inlay products. My quest for real artisans who had created inlay works took me on an empty trip around Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Fed up with lack of information and non-cooperation of artisans, I reached Mysore and in "the most beautiful city in all of South India" I found an end to my quest. [Eric says, when he saw the intarsia work in Mysore, he said to himself, "Ha, it's here."]
Shwetha: What happened when you reached Mysore and found your quest for intarsia artistes ended here?
Eric: Finally realising that intarsia or marquetry products found elsewhere in tourist places were originally done by the Mysore's artisans, for two weeks I knocked on every possible door in the city seeking help in finding the artisans who did the work. Many shopkeepers did not assist me as they considered their sources private and did not like intervention from a foreigner. I finally found an opportunity to work directly with the craftsmen and learnt about local wood species. Eventually I opened my own workshop with the help of Hunsur Plywoods and Mahendra Hardware.
Shwetha: Tell us about intarsia's survival in Mysore.
Eric: Mysore is one of the few places left in the world where intarsia is still being created traditionally. There are about 1,500 artisans in Mandi Mohalla and Bannimantap who still use the same techniques used some centuries ago. Though intarsia here is mainly based on religious carvings, nowadays intricately designed furniture and architectural pieces with other art forms too have surfaced.
The Mysore artisans should evolve according to changed times. They should emerge out of their cocoons of traditional art to reach a wider network with good quality wood work.
Shwetha: What are you future plans for the development of the art?
Eric: My company Intarsia India employs 20 staff. With a view to include women in the craft, I conducted training workshops about eight or nine times for women. But most of the trainees left at the finishing stage due to family problems. Not deterred by this, I still hope to bring women artisans to the fore by training them as they are efficient and hard-working.
I believe that craftsmanship in Mysore is stagnant as there is a tendency to separate fine arts from technology as is being done at Chamaraja Technical Institute (CTI) and Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA). CTI and CAVA should be intermingling and the artists of CAVA should in fact be at CTI learning hands-on craftsmanship and those of CTI upstairs at CAVA library, studying finer nuances of fine arts. The fine arts students should not think it is below them to learn wood cutting and other basic works necessary for sculpting, inlaying.
When Japan can merge modern with the traditional styles and market their products successfully, even the Indian artisans, especially those in Mysore, should think of changing their styles.
Shwetha: What is your next step?
Eric: My next step is to start a school for training craftsmen, including more number of women in the city. I have been struggling since many years for govt. aid but gave up, tired of bureaucratic hurdles. The school will train the artisans from the scratch — wood cutting to the polished end product.
Now, I am mooting to convert my company into a Private Limited so that the artisans who work there will also own a piece of the company.
Mysore is perhaps the only place in the world that plays hosts to a community of artisans who have been engaged in creating pictorial marquetry with the same techniques that were employed during Renaissance.
It is ironic that this intarsia art is being preserved not by our ignorant government or by local art enthusiasts, but by a foreigner.
[Eric may be contacted on Mob:98804-39882].
Eric Sakellaropoulos' creations have adorned the interiors of homes and offices of reputed industrialists and elites of the country including the Bajaj family in Pune, Preeti Ambani, President of Harmony Art Foundation and cousin of Anil Ambani, JK Tyres, Mamta Singhania and the like. SOM met Eric, who has designed the interiors of buildings in Lonavala, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai etc., with his beautiful intarsia works, at his Mysore office. Excerpts:
Shwetha: Where did your journey into the world of intarsia begin?
Eric Sakellaropoulos: My journey into the artistic world of marquetry or intarsia began in Greece. Born to Greek and French parents, I have lived in Greece, France and Canada before coming to India. I worked as the Assistant Curator from 1984 to 1988 at the Jewish Museum in Athens under Nikos Stavroulakis, who had collected more than 12,000 Jewish artefacts that reflected the history of Jewish people in Greece. Here I built seven permanent exhibition rooms and was also involved in conservation of embroidery and brocades. It was in this museum that I got involved in architectural design and furniture-making.
I learnt marquetry or intarsia wood inlay by working in my roommate's workshop in Athens. I later visited various workshops in Cairo, Barcelona and Indonesia, apart from Borobodur in Cambodia and Ajanta caves in India. In 1989, I left Greece and settled down in Montreal, Canada. Here I designed interior spaces, bars, restaurants etc., one of my well-known work being the wall panelling of the theological chapel at McGill which won me the American Institute for Architects Award. I also taught vocational training in wood working including marquetry and furniture design.
Shwetha: Tell us about your quest for intarsia artists in India.
Eric: In 1996, I came to Anegundi in Hampi with the purpose of setting up a design centre. There I found intarsia pictures in tourist shops but couldn't get proper information out of the sellers or tourist shop owners about the raw materials for creating wood inlay products. My quest for real artisans who had created inlay works took me on an empty trip around Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Fed up with lack of information and non-cooperation of artisans, I reached Mysore and in "the most beautiful city in all of South India" I found an end to my quest. [Eric says, when he saw the intarsia work in Mysore, he said to himself, "Ha, it's here."]
Shwetha: What happened when you reached Mysore and found your quest for intarsia artistes ended here?
Eric: Finally realising that intarsia or marquetry products found elsewhere in tourist places were originally done by the Mysore's artisans, for two weeks I knocked on every possible door in the city seeking help in finding the artisans who did the work. Many shopkeepers did not assist me as they considered their sources private and did not like intervention from a foreigner. I finally found an opportunity to work directly with the craftsmen and learnt about local wood species. Eventually I opened my own workshop with the help of Hunsur Plywoods and Mahendra Hardware.
Shwetha: Tell us about intarsia's survival in Mysore.
Eric: Mysore is one of the few places left in the world where intarsia is still being created traditionally. There are about 1,500 artisans in Mandi Mohalla and Bannimantap who still use the same techniques used some centuries ago. Though intarsia here is mainly based on religious carvings, nowadays intricately designed furniture and architectural pieces with other art forms too have surfaced.
The Mysore artisans should evolve according to changed times. They should emerge out of their cocoons of traditional art to reach a wider network with good quality wood work.
Shwetha: What are you future plans for the development of the art?
Eric: My company Intarsia India employs 20 staff. With a view to include women in the craft, I conducted training workshops about eight or nine times for women. But most of the trainees left at the finishing stage due to family problems. Not deterred by this, I still hope to bring women artisans to the fore by training them as they are efficient and hard-working.
I believe that craftsmanship in Mysore is stagnant as there is a tendency to separate fine arts from technology as is being done at Chamaraja Technical Institute (CTI) and Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA). CTI and CAVA should be intermingling and the artists of CAVA should in fact be at CTI learning hands-on craftsmanship and those of CTI upstairs at CAVA library, studying finer nuances of fine arts. The fine arts students should not think it is below them to learn wood cutting and other basic works necessary for sculpting, inlaying.
When Japan can merge modern with the traditional styles and market their products successfully, even the Indian artisans, especially those in Mysore, should think of changing their styles.
Shwetha: What is your next step?
Eric: My next step is to start a school for training craftsmen, including more number of women in the city. I have been struggling since many years for govt. aid but gave up, tired of bureaucratic hurdles. The school will train the artisans from the scratch — wood cutting to the polished end product.
Now, I am mooting to convert my company into a Private Limited so that the artisans who work there will also own a piece of the company.
Mysore is perhaps the only place in the world that plays hosts to a community of artisans who have been engaged in creating pictorial marquetry with the same techniques that were employed during Renaissance.
It is ironic that this intarsia art is being preserved not by our ignorant government or by local art enthusiasts, but by a foreigner.
[Eric may be contacted on Mob:98804-39882].
3 comments:
Amazing Artist!! he is bringing a change and true development in Mysore inlay works! well done Mr Eric.
Hope you inspire Mysore to open an inlay Art school so that young people can learn this ancient Art.
Where and how can i meet him in mysore?
Super
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