‘Angelo’s Sanctuary', a vibrant work, is true to Ranbir Kaleka's trademark style. An animated canvas, it carries forth the artist's fantastical re-imaginings of urban landscapes overrun by flora and fauna from the wild.
Another surreal work, with a dream-like quality, is by Sri Lankan artist Senaka Senanayake, who evokes the beauty of the lush rainforests in his works. Instead of showing dismal scenes of destruction of the wild, he chooses to highlight the beauty of this fast-fading ecosystem. His work serves as a poignant reminder of all that the world is set to lose.
100 such works by contemporary artists such as Nalini Malani, Jitish Kallat, Raqib Shaw, N.S. Harsha, Jagannath Panda, T.V. Santhosh, and Sudhir Patwardhan are part of AstaGuru's upcoming auction, ‘Beyond Bold’. To be held online between 16-17 December, the sale hopes to highlight the diversity of contemporary art, not just in terms of themes and subjects but also styles, techniques and material.
Also read: A new exhibition features master painters who humanised deities
A lot of the works, part of the sale, revolve around pressing concerns of the time. Take, for instance, ‘260 KMPH-920 HPA’ (nickel coated ghunghroos, fabric, polyurethane coat, 2015) by Vibha Galhotra, who looks at ideas of displacement, identity, and more.
Some of the artworks don't just show the creative thought of the artist but also the influences that have shaped that process. Raqib Shaw's Untitled work, made with enamel, oil, acrylic, glitter and rhinestones on birchwood, highlight the influence of mythology, poetry, art history and textiles on the artist.
One of the highlights includes an untitled sculpture by L. N. Tallur. “[The artist] executes works inspired by various themes ranging from the rural influences he had while growing up and those that he was exposed to and acquired while traversing across the globe,” states the catalogue.
Also read: K.S. Radhakrishnan’s poetic expression in bronze
