Lot 60: SHIBU NATESAN

SHIBU NATESAN INDIAN B.1966 UNTITLED 2007 watercolour on paper 121.5 x 152 cm / 47.83 x 59.84"

Some recent solo exhibitions
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York 2007, 'Each one teach one'
Sakshi Gallery, New Delhi 2005, 'Existence of Instinct'
Grosvenor Gallery, London 2005, 'Vision United'
Fine Arts Gallery, Baroda 1998, 'Missing'

Some recent group exhibitions
Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 2008, 'Modern and Contemporary Indian Art'
Aicon Gallery, New York 2006, 'Altered Realities'
The 3rd Fukuoka Art Triennale, 2005
Fine Art Resource, Berlin 2003, 'Under the Skin of Simulation: Three Contemporary Painters'

Selected publications
Anne Fleetwood, Shibu Natesan: vision unlimited, London: Grosvenor Gallery 2005
Sasha Altaf, Engendering: images of women, Mumbai: The Guild-Art Gallery 2001
Andrew L. Cohen, A global view: Indian artists at home in the world, Mumbai/Berlin: The Fine Art Resource 2000
R. Siva Kumar, Exile and longing: emerging art practices from Kerala, Mumbai: Lakeeren 2000
Shibu Natesan: 'missing'/recent works by Shibu Natesan 1998-'99, Mumbai: Sakshi Gallery 1999

Selected public and corporate collections
Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, NL • Abn Amro Kunststichting, NL • CIMA, Calcutta, IN • Jehangir Nicholson Museum, Mumbai, IN

donated by the artist

A central part of Shibu Natesan's painting practice involves the quest for a resonant image that refuses to be read directly and which compels viewers to arrive at their own interpretation. The invitation that is extended to the viewer, asking him or her to take an active stance in relation to the painting, is often a political one, even when the subject matter is not overtly so. Natesan is concerned with the political events and figures from world history which, through visual exploration, can be read both as a questioning of India's national issues as well as addressing our global situation. One of the factors that shapes his painting practice is the use of images from various cultural sources. Our constant bombardment by images from all over the world frames his world view. The experience of living in different cultures has also led him to an understanding that human emotions and issues are fundamentally the same, if expressed differently. It is the location of an image in time, place and context whilst allowing it to go beyond this that is a dominant feature of his work. Using a realist painting language founded on a long-standing tradition gives a sense of familiarity to people from various cultural backgrounds and levels of society. The language, whilst familiar, can also be used to challenge and subvert established meanings.

Shibu Natesan was resident artist at the Rijksakademie in 1996-1997.
He won the Uriôt Prize (NL) in 1996.