A rare behind-the-scenes look at artist Balan Nambiar’s home studio in Bengaluru

Artist Balan Nambiar’s home in Bengaluru | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Located a few lanes within Jayamahal Extension, is artist Balan Nambiar’s home studio. Sunlight sweeps in through the long windows and hits the framed glass paintings on the walls as Balan passes around freshly cut watermelon pieces to the group assembled in his living room. The window frames include detailed steel carvings and Balan’s painting of his room in 1964, three years before he joined the Fine Arts College. 

Every corner and room of his studio is filled with his sculptures, paintings, catalogues, books and art. Organised by the Science Gallery, Bengaluru, the visit to Balan’s home studio included an engaging and interactive tour led by the artistduring which he explained the process and inspiration behind his work. 

Multifaceted artist

A painter, sculptor, enamellist, photographer and academic researcher, Balan has worked with various media such as clay, reinforced concrete, enamel, wood, bronze and fibreglass as well as mild and stainless steel. Born in Kannapuram, Kerala, his journey as an artist began with painting in watercolours and oil, but he soon shifted to making sculptures, initially with concrete and bronze, using casting techniques. 

Balan’s sculptures mainly draw on symbolism, abstractness and cultural references. He says, “My works are not illustrations; they are inspired from scripts, culture and actual symbols. That was the subject of my academic research.”

One of his sculptures Germination of a Seed depicts a rice plant symbolising the formation of an idea and its growth. “Since I come from a farmer’s family, I used the rice plants symbolically — if you think about an institution’s growth, the process is similar to the germination of a seed.” 

Another highly acclaimed work is his series of sculptures in stainless steel titled The Mirror Idol, inspired from the metallic mirror installed in the temples of Kerala instead of idols. Some of his other works include the Valampiri Shankha (2000), Monument to the Assassinated (1995), Sculpture for Timken, (2004) and The Sky is the Limit, (2010). 

Though not trained professionally in mathematics, Balan also incorporates a few of its principles into his art. The Golden Ratio is important in mathematics, nature and arts and you can see concepts such as symmetry, spirals and ratios in his works.

Love for learning

During the tour, a major stop was his enamel paints studio, where he explained the process of creating enamel art using coloured powders, tools and a self-installed enamel paint baking oven. “I use jewellery enamel colours such as gold and silver on copper bases.” He learnt the technique from his father-in-law Paolo de Poli, an Italian enamellist and painter. 

Balan has also penned multiple photographic features, books and articles on Theyyam — the ancient artform of North Kerala, ritualistic objects from the State and other research-oriented articles. He has received many awards including the Karnataka State LKA Award in 1980, the National Award of Lalit Kala Akademi in 1981 for his sculptures and Nehru Fellowship of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund in 1983-85 for his academic research. 

Balan mentions that he spends time reflecting while working on a creative piece. “If there are three things that have influenced my creative process and works, it would be my reading, travels and acquaintance with academic scholars, in that order.”

He believes that one creates a work of art through accumulated experiences that go beyond the time taken to finish the work. “A masterpiece can take years or just months to finish, but it reflects the experience and learning gained throughout your life.”

Published - June 17, 2025 01:01 pm IST