Talwar Gallery is pleased to present I thank you once again, a solo exhibition of works by N.N. Rimzon. On view are drawings and sculptural works including his major work, I thank you once again. Initiated in 1995, Rimzon completed the casting of this bronze work in 2016. It is a tableau of icons inspired by offerings of readymade images collected by the artist over years from local shrines, temples and churches in and around villages in India. These tokens transcend the boundaries of caste and religion, as they are presented by farmers and other working-class people in any place of worship. For them, any site, whether it be a temple, shrine, or church is where they can go to communicate with God irrespective of their own faith. They do not see any barriers or differences in places of worship. They come clutching these small thin silver metal tokens to plead for respite and solace or express gratitude. The images on these offerings would range from a pair of eyes to powerful arms, from a cow to a car, an offspring to a beautiful spouse – all to communicate, settle or bargain with the divine. Reminiscent of the seals of ancient civilizations like the Indus Valley, these simple images inhabit a totemic and timeless power and are presented with a sincere, unwavering childlike belief in the miraculous.
N.N. Rimzon’s works have been exhibited at institutions worldwide including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea (2014); 5th Beijing International Art Biennale, National Art Museum of China (2012); Museum of Modern Art, (MuHKA), Antwerp, Belgium (2008); National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, India (2007); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Mexico (2006); Berkeley Art Museum (BAM), Berkeley, CA (2006); Busan Biennale, South Korea (2005); Art Center of Western Australia, Perth (2005); Asia Society, New York, NY (2005); Queens Museum of Art, New York, NY (1997); Singapore Art Museum (1997); House of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany (1997); 2nd Asia – Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT), Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia (1996); Asia Society, New York, NY, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan; The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands and in collaboration at the XLV Venice Biennale; Italy. He earned a BFA in sculpture from the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum (1982), an MA in sculpture at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda (1984), and an MA with distinction from the Royal College of Art, London (1989).