An Artist Driven by Curiosity

Born in Bengaluru in 1968, Ravikumar Kashi is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice moves across painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and artist’s books. Rather than confining himself to a single medium, Kashi has continually experimented with different forms and processes. At the heart of his work is a curiosity about how materials, images and ideas come together to create meaning. His practice is rooted in experimentation, with each new process allowing him to question and expand his artistic vocabulary.

Working With Paper

Paper has become one of the defining materials of Kashi’s practice. As he puts it, “I work with paper, and not on paper.” Instead of treating paper simply as a surface, he makes his own paper using plant and textile fibres and transforms freshly made pulp and sheets into reliefs, sculptures and installations. He is drawn to the contradictory qualities of the material — fragile yet strong, delicate yet resistant, and both malleable and structured. For Kashi, the material is not merely a medium but an active participant in the process of creating meaning.

A Journey of Experimentation

Kashi’s fascination with handmade paper began with an early curiosity about the process itself. As a young person, he experimented with making paper from old newspapers, and a papermaking demonstration he encountered at Bengaluru’s Visvesvaraya Science and Technology Museum stayed with him. This interest eventually developed into a deeper artistic practice. A Charles Wallace India Trust grant took him to the Glasgow School of Art in 2001, where he studied handmade papermaking under artist and printmaker J. Parry. In 2009, he travelled to South Korea to study the traditional Korean papermaking technique of Hanji. These experiences expanded his understanding of paper and encouraged him to explore the possibilities of the material within contemporary art.

Material, Memory and Meaning

Kashi’s works often ask viewers to look beyond their immediate visual appearance. His interest lies in the relationship between an image and the ideas or memories it can evoke. Over the years, he has developed an unconventional visual language built through the combination of materials, symbols and personal associations. His works reveal themselves gradually, encouraging viewers to interpret them through their own experiences and memories.

Language and Kannada

Language has become an important element in Kashi’s work, particularly through his use of Kannada script. Rather than using letters only as a means of communication, he transforms them into physical and visual forms. Through handmade paper and sculptural processes, Kannada letters become objects that can be touched, viewed and interpreted. These works explore ideas of memory, identity, cultural inheritance and the relationship between individuals and their language.

Malleswaram and His Early Years

Kashi’s connection with Malleswaram goes back to his childhood. Growing up in the neighbourhood, he was exposed to a rich cultural environment where art and performance were part of everyday life. He remembers encountering Bharatanatyam performances, theatre, Harikatha and other cultural activities during his childhood. This early exposure to different forms of artistic expression played an important role in shaping his curiosity and his eventual relationship with art.

Beyond the Studio

Kashi’s contribution to Bengaluru’s art community extends beyond his own artworks. He is also a writer and educator, working in both Kannada and English. He has written about art and visual culture, contributed to publications and taught at various institutions in Bengaluru. His interest in education reflects the same curiosity that drives his artistic practice — encouraging people to look closely, question what they see and find new ways of understanding the world around them.

A Practice Without Boundaries

Across decades of work, Kashi has continued to move between mediums rather than settling into a single artistic identity. Whether working with handmade paper, photographs, prints, books or installations, his practice remains grounded in experimentation and discovery. From the cultural surroundings of his childhood in Malleswaram to his explorations of handmade paper and Kannada language, Kashi’s work reflects a constant desire to understand how ordinary materials, images and experiences can be transformed into something meaningful.

Sources

https://www.ravikashi.com/AboutUs.aspx

https://map-india.org/exhibition/we-dont-end-at-our-edges/