By Shriharsh Katurri Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A farmer riding a bullock cart with sacks of paddy welcomes visitors at the entrance of the State Art Gallery in Hyderabad. This life-size, waste-to-art sculpture of a six-foot bull and a 12-foot bullock cart is one of the 18 exhibits mounted by artist Mr. Harsh Katuri for his first solo show. “I want to show the culture of my place and the importance of farmers and the natural world in our lives,” the artist from Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, explains with a smile.

Miracle of art from waste

By Shriharsh Katurri Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Weighing almost two tonnes (four tonnes of scrap was collected), this piece made of parts of automobile wheels, gearboxes and bicycle chains is a marvel as it is arc welded from the inside.

While a couple six feet tall Ongolu Gitta (Ongole bull) tied to a rock and placed in a corner, dynamic figures of a tiger chasing a Cape buffalo (an African subspecies of buffalo), dinosaurs, rhinoceros, elephants and hippopotamus are other exhibits that Attract attention. Made of fiber, these one and a half foot tall animals have an ancient look.

art and technology

By Shriharsh Katurri Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sriharsha integrates traditional artistic expression with 3D printing technologies to create larger than life sculptures. Inspired by his self-taught sculptor father Katuri Venkateswara Rao, Sriharsha was determined to pursue a career in art since childhood. Eager to explore the field of digital sculpture, he graduated in Visual Arts from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad. “Traditionally, there are about five to 10 tools available to a sculptor wishing to sculpt an object in clay or cement, but in 3D modeling and sculpting, the options are endless. Now, when complex parts for the automobile industry are being 3D printed, why not sculpting?” he asks.

By Shriharsh Katurri Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

He explored animation and researched 3D modeling and 3D printing machines for two years. “I was so attached to those machines that I even ate food in my room. My parents were worried if something happened to me,” he recalls.

creative process

By Shriharsh Katurri Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

3D modeling and sculpting is the first step where a physical object is designed using 3D modeling software. “Programs like Autodesk Maya, Blender, or ZBrush are commonly used to create complex designs. These tools allow designers to create digitally detailed models or sculptures in three dimensions (width, depth and height),” he explains.

Plastics, resins, and metals are some of the materials used depending on the type of 3D printer.

A digital 3D model is transformed into a physical object through the detailed and precise control mechanisms provided by G-code. “This makes 3D printing a powerful tool for manufacturing, prototyping, and artistic expression.” Post-processing work involves painting the fiber cast pieces in metallic colors to give it a vintage look.

exploring new topics

By Sriharsh Katuri

Although the equipment is infinite, the printing time – about 12 hours to print an 18-inch statue – and the fixed size of the work (a 3D printing machine is 1 1/2 feet by 2 feet high, so increasing the height of an exhibit For, the artist has to scale it and use multiple machines) it has some drawbacks. Sriharsha hopes to explore conceptual works in the field of 3D printing technology.

Sriharsha’s solo show will run at the State Art Gallery till May 13 and later as part of a group show at the gallery till May 21.