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Lot 877: RIYAS KOMU

Est: $400,000 HKD - $600,000 HKD
Christie'sHong Kong, Hong KongDecember 01, 2008

Item Overview

Description

RIYAS KOMU
(Born in 1971)
SYSTEMATIC CITIZEN - X
signed, dated, titled and inscribed 'RIYAS KOMU/-Riyas Komu-2006 SYSTEMATIC CITIZEN - X OIL ON CANVAS 84" x 60"' in English (on reverse)
oil on canvas
213 x 152 cm. (83 7/8 x 59 7/8 in.)
Painted in 2006

Artist or Maker

Exhibited

New Delhi, India, Palette Art Gallery,Riyas Komu:Systematic Citizen, September - October, 2006.

Literature

Riyas Komu/Systematic Citizen,Exhibition Catalogue, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi, India, 2006, unpaginated (illustrated)

Notes

The portraits of Riyas Komu demand dialogue between the viewer and the subject. Komu uses images found in the popular media as inspiration for his portraits and thus maintains an organic connection between his works and the public domain. With their large format and photo-realist style, these portraits magnify subtle signs of social unrest and encourage the viewer to contemplate the angst and frustration faced by the common citizen. While known for his experimentation with different media, Komu consistently returns to portraiture, embracing the genres ability to discuss social adversity on a human level.

Salvaging anonymous individuals from the often dehumanized popular media, Komu depicts his subjects with nuanced and inscrutable expressions. The artist, who has stated his artistic goal to archive the times, uses his canvas to speak for those overlooked in the grand narrative of history. Alluding to the inability to be heard, the individuals in each portrait seem disturbed and yet speechless, urging the viewer to decipher the complex frustrations unique to each personal situation. Drawing the viewer into the disquieting space of the subject, Komu denies his viewer any easy answers and creates works that "look back at the viewer rather than just tell a story or hang on the wall."

With the soft palette and invisible brushstrokes, the artist convinces the viewer of his subjects humanity and employs these portraits as fateful reminders of the human cost of social strife.

Auction Details

Asian Contemporary Sale (Day Sale)

by
Christie's
December 01, 2008, 01:30 PM ChST

2203-8 Alexandra House 16-20 Chater Road, Hong Kong, HK