Ravinder Reddy - BRIC London Thursday, April 14, 2011 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Private Collection

  • Catalogue Essay

    Ravinder Reddy’s monumental sculptures of women are amongst the most visible and celebrated examples of contemporary South Asian Art. His sculptures of female heads, of which the present lot is a prime example, combine Hindu and Buddhist sculptural tradition with a contemporary Pop sensibility. Inspired by representations of classical Indian deities, together with the women he observes in the streets of New Delhi, Reddy reworks the image of a religious idol, giving it a Warholian makeover. Further emphasising this dichotomy of old and new, the artist shuns the traditional mediums of clay and plaster for fibreglass; the result is a highly decorative sculpture of masterful craft with its elaborate coiffure and lustrous gilded surfaces. The work is both vulgar and beautiful, kitsch and avant-garde. The woman’s face portrays a powerful strength of character and exudes sexual undertones, while her large open eyes project feminine tenderness and an air of serenity. As the artist has stated: “My life force is women: they are the source of growth and life in my work.”

13

Untitled

2006
Painted and gilt polyester, resin and fibreglass.
82 x 77 x 58 cm (32 1/4 x 30 1/4 x 22 7/8 in).

Estimate
£70,000 - 90,000 

BRIC

14 - 15 April 2011
London