‘Management Guru’ by Valay Shende

‘Management Guru’ (2008) comments on how timing, speed and efficiency take on an Indian dimension as workers’ meals travel from their homes, through an intricate web of deliverymen (dabbawallah), to the workers for lunch.
Here, Shende incorporates timepieces to emphasize the error-free and punctual services that these dabbawallahs provide for thousands of people. Shende has replaced the traditional Tiffin carrier—the usual lunch box—with what he calls a “hungry stomach,” a humorous reference to the famished stomachs of the workers, as well as a statement on the poverty in India.

Work Information

cast in bronze, copper plated MS metal, wrist watches, gold plated units and mixed media

courtesy - www.investartindia.com

Three Girls by Amrita Sher-Gil

Though I believe every work created by Sher-Gil is a gem, Three Girls is particularly special as it belongs to a period and body which mark a discovery of her own painterly expression - a shift from the trained to a personal language. The demeanor of resignation and the repressed expressions of her subjects are captured in a remarkably touching and sensitive manner.

Work information

Amrita Sher-Gil (1913 - 41)

# Three Girls # c. 1935 # Oil on canvas

The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi Collection

"Very Hungry God" by Subodh Gupta

Created in reaction to reports that French soup-kitchens were using pork as an ingredient to deter Muslims from partaking in the meals, Very Hungry God was a break-through piece. Though Gupta had created powerful work prior to this object, Very Hungry God turned the world’s attention in his direction. The sight of this stunning object displayed in the Eglise Saint-Bernard de la Chapelle et Square Saint-Bernard in Barbes, Paris during the Nuit Blanche (an annual all-night cultural festival) is unforgettable. This work was seared permanently in our collective memories following its placement on the Grand Canal in front of super-collector François Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi during the Venice Biennale.

Work information

Subodh Gupta (1964)

Very Hungry God # c. 2006 # Stainless steel kitchen utensils # app. 1000 kilograms

The François Pinault Collection

‘Svayambh’ - by Anish Kapoor

‘Svayambh’ – Giant wax installationThe meaning of this Sanskrit word roughly translates as auto-generated. It features a huge block of blood red wax that moves ever so slowly through 5 of the galleries, rubbing itself against the doorways leaving its residue. This means the installation continuously evolves and changes. It would be interesting to re-visit the exhibition in January to see how it’s developed.