Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran to show Earth Deities at Vivid Sydney

The gods must be smiling on Sydney artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, a Sri Lankan migrant whose riotously colourful sculptures have captured the public’s imagination.

Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran’s Earth Deities installation will take centre stage at Vivid Sydney from Friday. Picture: Hugh Stewart

When Sri Lankan-born Sydney artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran was studying fine art at ­university, one thing continued to perplex him: there was barely any exposure to art that wasn’t European or American.

“Growing up, I didn’t see my community or myself and didn’t even think I could have a career as an artist, because I had no role models,” Nithiyendran said. “Visibility is quite powerful.”

So he decided to do something about it. Nithiyendran has carved his own path by making instantly recognisable, riotously coloured, irreverent and sometimes unsettling ceramic and sculptural figures that reflect his eclectic interests in Hinduism, the politics of idolatry, fashion and art history.

People are paying attention. On Friday, Nithiyendran’s 7m ­immersive multimedia installation Earth Deities will be unveiled on the opening night of Vivid Sydney. Situated harbourside at Circular Quay between two of Australia’s most iconic landmarks – the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge – the installation and its creator couldn’t be more visible.

Six months in the planning and execution, Earth Deities is a four-legged, two-armed, four-faced guardian figure built from metal, concrete, painted poly­styrene and hundreds of metres of LED rope, with a smoke machine, bespoke soundtrack and multiple lighting cues.

The project has been a collaborative effort involving lighting, technical and engineering experts.

Nithiyendran said Earth ­Deities was an “anti-monument”, an alternative to the 19th-century permanent, solid, bronze sculptures that speak to our colonial past. While there’s plenty of academic theory behind his work, Nithiyendran is equally happy if passers-by interpret the sculpture in their own way.

“I didn’t want to create a didactic work that was teaching people a lesson,” he said.

“I’ve shown in so many museums, and you can do really interesting things [but] the way to feel I’m making a difference is by ­having people engage – stimulating people’s imaginations.”

Nithiyendran is a sought-after artist and commentator, and among The Australian’s top 100 cultural leaders. The full list will be revealed in The List – 100 – Arts and Culture, a 92-page glossy magazine to be published in The Australian on Friday.

His work is exhibited and collected by a host of prestigious galleries and collections, including Art Basel Hong Kong, the Nat­ional Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of NSW.