Ramesh

Jaklyn Babington

The first major monograph on the boundary-pushing work of painter and sculptor, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran.

Bursting with energy and life force, this visual cornucopia celebratesthe work of Sri Lankan Australian sculptor and painter, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. He is one of Australia’s most prominent and sought-after contemporary artists, and the youngest artist ever to have a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia. His exuberant ceramic idols and installations gleam with vivid, impossible-to-ignore immediacy, provoking and stimulating audiences as he explores the politics of sex, gender,and religion.

Continually playing with form, materiality, and scale, Ramesh hasset new benchmarks in the field of ceramics. This highly anticipated monograph catalogues over 500 pieces in his signature neo-Expressionist style, as well as diary excerpts and a piece on his art process and materials. The rough-edged playfulness of his animated beings will appeal to both established collectors and seekers of the unconventional.

Contributors

Jaklyn Babington

Author

Jaklyn Babington is the director of a new, multisite contemporary art museum opening in Australia in late 2024. Working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country 2015–2021, she was the senior curator, contemporary art at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Jaklyn’s recent curatorial projects include Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture and Patricia Piccinini: Every Heart Sings. Notable exhibitions include Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia (2019); Jess Johnson & Simon Ward: Terminus (2018); Angelica Mesiti: Five Video Works (2018) and Hyper Real (2017–2018). In 2017, Jaklyn curated Ramesh Nithiyendran: Mud Men at the NGA.