Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran Breaks Traditions, One Penis at a Time

THE CREATORS PROJECT
By Isobel Beech
"Snake base" by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran
AUSTRALIA---Only three years out of his Fine Arts degree, Sydney-based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran has held eight solo shows, received numerous accolades, and has been part of countless group exhibitions. Nithiyendran’s work jumps out at you—warped and melty and often involving overt references to male anatomy. That is to say, covered in dicks. He finds phallus worship to be an engaging paradigm. “I’m also interested in the ways in which imagery and understandings of the phallus are presented in non-misogynistic forms,” Nithiyendran says, telling us that this is where his research into Hindu constructions of phallocentrism comes into play. While he has Hindu heritage, Nithiyendran is a confident atheist. [link]
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran in his studio. All photography by Lance Laurence for The Creators Project