Saroj Kumar Rout with his ceramic sculptures. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 23: Young ceramic sculptor Saroj Kumar Rout exhibited an ensemble of his works at a four-day exhibition that concluded on Sunday.

In about 40 works that Rout exhibited in the show, titled Clay Life, he displayed variety in textures, colours and themes. From a shiny smooth surface to coarse patterns — the surface on various creations in the series Pot Life were attractive for their variation in texture and also the distinct shades such as the copper sulphate, shamrock green and tinges of red he used. Rout showed pots of perfect and uneven shapes kept atop one another as if flowing out of a huge pot in which these miniatures were piled up.

Another work showed City Life, in which trees and animals were seen pushed aside by heavy traffic flow of cars dotting the streets. He had also created an Animal Farm — a set of various animals such as dogs, cows, tigers and so on — all in black and white. Similarly, a beautiful range of vases was also attracting art lovers at the exhibition.

“He has crafted impressive vases in a number of sizes that can look elegant to decorate the house while also lending a touch of art to your lifestyle,” said Purnima Rout, an art lover.

Most of the artist’s works got sold at the exhibition.

“I was sceptical about how the viewers would react to my works. But, I am deeply moved by the wonderful response. A lot of people came every day and many of them bought my sculptures,” said Rout.

The artist, who hails from a village in Kendrapara, is a 2008 alumnus of the Dhauli College of Art and Craft and did his masters from Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan, in 2012. Last year, Rout received the prestigious scholarship from Lalit Kala Akademi. He was also one of the artists to have displayed his works at the ongoing Odyssey exhibition of research scholars at the regional centre of the akademi.

“People still consider ceramic sculpture same as making utility articles out of China clay. Only the Lalit Kala Akademi has a good workshop, where I work. But outside the state and abroad, it has a huge following as a special form of art,” said Rout.