Lot 34: Ravi Agarwal , Immersion, Emergence twenty-four photographic prints on Epson archival paper edition 1 of 7

twenty-four photographic prints on Epson archival paper edition 1 of 7

measurements each 11 by 8 in. alternate measurements each 28 by 20.3 cm.

executed 2006/7
Ravi Agarwal has pursued photography as an integral part of his work as an environmentalist. His earlier work, in the documentary oeuvre, encompasses 'nature', 'work,' 'labor,' and the 'street,' while more recent work has been traversing explorations of the self, based on questions of nature and 'personal ecologies.' In 2002 he represented India at the 11th Documenta in Kassel Germany. In Immersion, Emergence the artist presents himself wrapped in a plastic death shroud standing by the banks of the river Yamuna. The photographs are part of a larger body of his work that includes a book of the same title that relates to the global politics of water. The work can be seen as a symbol off the death of the river itself and the loss of respect that society as a whole has for one of the holiest rivers of India. For the artist the Yamuna becomes a metaphor for 'our disconnect with nature'. He states, 'I believe we are all deeply interconnected, to everything around us, and struggle between our 'individual identities' and collective lives...While there is a sense of 'one must do something', at another level all that seems to be taking place is also in many ways inscribed in our collective human history, where it seems to be predicted, like in a pre-written script. The duality which you see is that.' (Ravi Agarwal in conversation with Johnny ML, www.artconcerns.com) 'Immersion, Emergence not only gives us visuals of a vandalized Yamuna, the artery of Delhi. It gives the author's first person engagement with the river. Ravi Agarwal seems to be a lover in distress. He is suffocated and pained by the condition of his love, Yamuna, the river. However, he looks at the people who are evicted from its banks in the name of urban development with a positive energy. He is enamored by their instinct to survive, their hope in hopelessness, their ability to demand dignity.' (ibid.)