Nek Chand (1924-2015) was an Indian artist best known for creating the 18-acre sculpture garden known as the Chandigarh Rock Garden in 1957. He died of heart disease on June 12, 2015 at the age of 90.
Wiki/Biography
Nek Chand Saini was born on Monday 15 December 1924 in Shakagarh, British India (now Pakistan) (age 90; death). He attended school for eight years and graduated from Lahore University. After the partition of India in 1947, Chand and his family moved to Gurdaspur in the Indian state of Punjab. Later, in 1955, they moved to Chandigarh.
family
Nek Chand was born into a landowning family in the village of Beriankaran near Lahore (now part of Pakistan).
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
wife and children
Nek Chand married Kamla in 1950 and had a son, Anuj, and a daughter, Neelam.
Nek Chand and his wife
rock garden
Chandigarh’s iconic rock garden was inaugurated in 1976. Nek Chand Saini started building the garden in secret in his spare time. Chandler once said,
“I started this garden as a hobby in the 1950s.”
Nek Chand and his sculptures
Nek Chand developed the stunning Chandigarh Rock Garden, which spread over 18 acres and was eventually expanded. He spent 18 years scouring the city for recyclable materials in cobbles, stones and bins. He said in an interview,
I have a lot of ideas that I’ve been thinking about. I started carrying all the materials on my bike and collecting them here; I did three or four rounds on the bike every day. I see beauty and art in what people call trash. “
Creations by Nek Chand
The garden was built entirely out of household waste and other industrial items. Bracelets, clay pots, tiles, bottles, electrical waste and more are used to create sculptures. In fact, the garden is a fusion of landscape, architecture, sculpture and mythology. The concept of a lost kingdom became the inspiration for the garden layout. It has 14 different rooms. The festive atmosphere of the rock garden during the Tij festival is especially popular among tourists.
rock garden layout
- The first phase included human and animal figures made from toilet fixtures, broken glass pieces and broken ceramic tiles.
- The structure of the second phase is a traditional Indian village with beautifully carved huts, temple paths, etc.
- Phase three is inspired by Roman architecture; swings are hung for people to enjoy the views.
- The open seating area with stairs is known as the “amphitheatre”.
- Laughing mirror display, camel and train rides and a doll museum.
exhibition
All over the world, statues made by Nek Chand are installed in various museums and art galleries such as:
- Capitol Children’s Museum, Washington, D.C.
- American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
Nek Chand statue on display at the American Fortress Museum of Art
- Swiss Art Brut Collection.
- John Michael Kohler Art Center, USA.
Nek Chand sculpture exhibition at John Michael Kohler Center for the Arts
- From April 16, 2007 to May 11, 2007, Chandler’s incredible artwork is on display at the Royal Institute of British Architects Gallery in Liverpool, England.
publication
Many authors have written novels about the Nechand Rock Gardens, including:
- Brooke Davis Anderson (2006) Kingdom of Concrete: The Sculptures of Nek Chand.
- lain Jackson (2007), Politicizing Territory: The Rock Garden of Nek Chand, Chandigarh.
- Nek Chand’s Outsider Art: The Rock Gardens of Chandigarh, by Lucienne Peiry, John Maizels, Philippe Lespinasse, Nek Chand.
- Collections, Ruins and Theatre: Architecture, Sculpture and Landscape in Nek Chand’s Rock Garden, by Soumyen Bandyopadhyay and Iain Jackson.
Books by Soumyen Bandyopadhyay and Iain Jackson
Awards and Honors
- In 1985, Nek Chand was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, for his outstanding contributions to the field of arts.
- In 1980, he was awarded the Grand Medal of Vermeer in Paris.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education