Lot 344: ASHIM PURKAYASTHA (B. 1967)

ASHIM PURKAYASTHA (B. 1967)
Untitled
signed and dated 'Ashim 06' (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
89 7/8 x 66 in. (228 x 168 cm.)
Painted in 2006

My ideas find their roots in my home region (Assam), in the people around me and the socio-political situation of the land. The independence of India came along with the historical partition of the subcontinent. The borders of the countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India - were drawn on the basis of language, religion and caste and led to the birth of millions of identity-less people.
(Artist Statement, Made in India, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, 2007, p. 182)

A political artist, Purkayastha's vocabulary is firmly rooted in everyday India. In this painting, the revenue stamp is made to represent a mutual agreement between the citizen and the state. It investigates society, probes national identity, and represents authority. Using a portrait of Gandhi, Father of the Nation, on a grand scale the artist critiques the founding principles of the Subcontinent; and in so doing points to a perceived betrayal of ideals and continuing social inequalities.