Lot 1037: RAVINDER REDDY (B. 1956)

RAVINDER REDDY (B. 1956)
Untitled
polyester, resin and fiberglass
34¼ x 34½ x 22 in. (81.9 x 55.9 x 88.3 cm.)

Born in Suryapet, in the Andhra Pradesh region of India, artist Ravinder Reddy references ancient Indian sculptural traditions in his massive polyester-resin heads. Contemporizing images of traditional Indian goddesses, Reddy plays on the American concept of "super-sizing" inflating these distinctly South Asian busts to gargantuan proportions. In spite of their imposing size and saturated colors, the artist cleverly imbues his sculptures with a sense of serenity and the brash faces remain docile and oddly domestic. The brightly colored and gilded sculptures possess many of the characteristics of Pop Art, drawing attention away from their Hindu origins to focus solely on surface and decoration. In a way, Reddy's works address issues of femininity and beauty, suggesting both the pressure to look beautiful through the aid of make up, clothing and hair styling as well as the pressure to maintain a reverence for, and adherence to, tradition. Through his gargantuan transformations and re-appropriations of ancient Indian temple sculpture, Reddy is possibly commenting on how India's religious and cultural histories are being diluted and Westernized by the surge of progression.