Bharti Kher - 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale London Thursday, October 12, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Kher’s Make Up (as you go along)​, positioned as though it is about to topple, is a visual enigma that balances between metaphysical and material pursuits. The central mirror, that would once grace the viewer with their own reflection, is shattered to resemble a bursting Mandala. The use of this motif reframes the object from a tool for cosmetic rituals to an aid for meditation and spiritual guidance. In this sense, Kher has pursued the notion of self-reflection, marrying its most functional context with the ethereal. The dresser ripples with colourful Bindis that imbue it with an animated personality, accented by an open draw suggesting a quality that borders on the anthropomorphic.

    “The bindi to me represents the third eye – one that forges a link between the real and the spiritual/conceptual/other worlds.”
    —Bharti Kher

    Kher is pronounced in her ability to assign a sense of mysticism to the quotidian. The artist seeks to incorporate found objects with materials that are loaded with symbolism, establishing her works between geographic and social milieus. The use of the Bindi, for example, first appeared in 1995 as a means to instantly invoke themes of sublime consciousness while acting as a material much like paint or clay. Kher’s corpus has thus become known for its ability to engage the viewer, encouraging them to participate in the exchange between the magical and the everyday.

    • Provenance

      Galerie Perrotin, Paris
      Acquired from the above by the present owner

    • Exhibited

      Bangalore, Gallery SKE, Bharti Kher: Disturbia, Utopia, House Beautiful, 18 December 2010 - February 2011
      Paris, Galerie Perrotin, Bharti Kher: Leave Your Smell, 7 May - 18 June 2011
      Singapore Art Museum, Credit Suisse: Innovation In Art Series The Collectors Show: Chimera Asian Contemporary Art from Private Collections, 14 January 2012 - 25 March 2012
      Tel Aviv Museum, Critical Mass: Contemporary Art from India, 1 June - 8 December 2012
      London, Parasol unit, Bharti Kher, 12 September - 11 November 2012, pp. 48-49, 169 (detail illustrated, p. 48; illustrated, p. 49)

CONTEMPORARY FEMALE ARTISTS FROM THE SERGE TIROCHE COLLECTION, TO BENEFIT AFRICA FIRST

209

Make up (as you go along)

signed, titled and dated 'Bharti Kher 2010. "Make up (as you go along)"' on the underside
wooden dressing table, mirror, bindis and glass bricks
overall installation dimensions approx. 173.5 x 130.5 x 51 cm (68 1/4 x 51 3/8 x 20 1/8 in.)
Executed in 2010.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£60,000 - 80,000 ‡♠

Sold for £57,150

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20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale

London Auction 12 October 2023