Reena Saini Kallat
(1973)
Untitled (Sword Swallower)
The present lot belongs to a suite of works created by Reena Saini Kallat in 2004-05. Collectively titled Sword Swallower, each is an assemblage of six panels arranged vertically on a wooden base, reminiscent of memorial columns. The first panel is a larger portrait of ordinary people - here, a schoolgirl - below which are a series of colourful visuals, structured almost like a comic strip, which "may be read as scans of a revealed...
The present lot belongs to a suite of works created by Reena Saini Kallat in 2004-05. Collectively titled Sword Swallower, each is an assemblage of six panels arranged vertically on a wooden base, reminiscent of memorial columns. The first panel is a larger portrait of ordinary people - here, a schoolgirl - below which are a series of colourful visuals, structured almost like a comic strip, which "may be read as scans of a revealed anatomy, the interior of a body racked by the demons of poverty, state oppression and religious discrimination... [The works] could also be seen as addressing the rampant trend towards demonising the other in every conflict at all levels, which forces us to perceive the world through screens of demonology." (Nancy Adajania, "Screens of Demonology," reenakallat.com, 2005, online) The demons, according to Adajania, appear to be caricatures and are inspired by the asuras in Kangra miniatures. A versatile artist, Kallat's work explores memory, the cycle of life and nature as well as contemporary social conditions, often through the use of mythological tropes and popular symbols that contrast with the seriousness of the issues portrayed. Her work has been widely exhibited internationally, including at the MoMA in New York, Tate Modern in London and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.
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CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ART: A SELECTION FROM THE AMAYA COLLECTION
4-5 DECEMBER 2018
Estimate
Rs 5,00,000 - 6,00,000
$7,250 - 8,700
Winning Bid
Rs 5,17,500
$7,500
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)
ARTWORK DETAILS
Reena Saini Kallat
Untitled (Sword Swallower)
2004
Acrylic on paper pasted on board
72.25 x 22 in (183.2 x 55.8 cm)
This work comparises six panels with top panel measuring 28 x 22 in (71.1 x 55.8 cm) and remaining panels measuring 7.75 x 22 in (19.7 x 55.8 cm)
EXHIBITED Black Flute , Mumbai: Gallery Chemould, 8 - 23 October 2004Black Flute (And Other Stories) , New Delhi: Nature Morte, 22 January - 1 February 2005India Express: Sacred and Popular Culture , Helsinki: Art Museum Tennis Palace, 2 March - 30 July 2006 New Narratives: Contemporary Art from India , Chicago: Chicago Cultural Centre, 21 July - 23 September 2007; Salina: Salina Art Center, 5 January - 16 March 2008; New Brunswick: Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 12 April - 31 July 2008 PUBLISHEDReena Saini Kallat , Mumbai: Gallery Chemould and New Delhi: Nature Morte, 2005 (illustrated) Reena Saini Kallat: Rainbow of Refuse, Mumbai and Singapore: Bodhi Art, 2006, p. 10 (installation view) Erja Pusa, Jyotindra Jain, Amrit Gangar, Peter Nagy, Sointu Fritze eds., India Express: Sacred and Popular Culture , Helsinki: Helsinki City Art Museum, 2006, p. 107 (illustrated)
Category: Painting
Style: Figurative
ARTWORK SIZE:
Height of Figure: 6'