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Lot 89

 

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The present lot is part of Rana's Ommatidia series, named for the term which defines the bio-structural components that hold together the multiple lenses that form the compound eye of a housefly. As suggested by the title, the works in this series are "pixelated" reproductions of popular poster images of Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan (the subject in the present lot). The photographic montage of the actor -... The present lot is part of Rana's Ommatidia series, named for the term which defines the bio-structural components that hold together the multiple lenses that form the compound eye of a housefly. As suggested by the title, the works in this series are "pixelated" reproductions of popular poster images of Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan (the subject in the present lot). The photographic montage of the actor - an idolised figure in India and South Asia - is composed of several thousand photographs of ordinary young men taken from the streets of Lahore. "Tiny documentary photographs taken in the chaotic streets of Lahore provide a wider picture of celebrity as figment; a mass media construct sustained by the projected, collective dreams and aspirations of ordinary Pakistani society as it jostles politically and culturally with neighbouring India.” (Ulanda Blair, Flash, Victoria: Centre for Contemporary Photography, March-June 2007, p. 9)

The resulting effect serves to shift the viewer's focus from the idol to the structures that construct and support his heroic image, literally as well as metaphorically. "Visually, Rana's prints are large, sometimes even heroic in scale, and they appear from a distance as slightly blurred, low-resolution renditions of banalities: landscapes, film posters or press photographs. Drawing near, one realizes that the large and visible 'pixels' are themselves smaller photographs, which magically assemble to compose the larger image. To step near, and away, and near again, to see dark and light photographs becoming the pupil or the highlight in somebody's eye, is to experience marvellous visual complexity. But there is also always a carefully calibrated relationship between the larger image and the smaller images that compose it, and this relationship provides an intellectual substance that endures even after the first visual surprise ebbs away. Usually chosen with caustic wit, the smaller images tend to subvert or at least complicate the larger image that they create, setting up a complex relay of meanings and their deconstruction." (Quddus Mirza, Adnan Manani, Kavita Singh et al., Rashid Rana, Mumbai: Chatterjee & Lal and Chemould Prescott Road, 2010, p. 25)

"In the art world, his name is already written in stone. To some he is the greatest thing that ever happened to contemporary art." - COLIN GLEADELL

Of the many achievements that Charles Saatchi is known for, perhaps the most notable include his considerable influence in the world of contemporary art and his famous art collection. From transforming the British art scene to setting up the internationally renowned Saatchi Gallery, which has housed the likes of Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Damien Hirst and innumerable masters, Saatchi's impact on the art market is undeniable.

The Baghdad-born collector emigrated to London with his family at a young age, and his childhood years were spent obsessed with American pop culture. His first encounter with art - a Jackson Pollock painting at the MoMA in New York - was "life changing." (Quoted in Deborah Solomon, "The Collector," The New York Times, 26 September 1999, online) At 18, Saatchi joined an advertising firm as a copywriter, and eventually started his own advertising agency with his brother in 1970, which grew to be one of the largest advertising companies globally by 1986.

In the meantime, Saatchi had already begun his foray into art collecting, purchasing his first piece of art - a drawing by Sol LeWitt - in his early 20s. By 1985, he had opened Saatchi Gallery in a converted paint factory, transformed by architect Max Gordon into "30,000 square feet of dazzling whiteness tucked behind imposing gray gates on Boundary Road." (Solomon, online) Its inaugural exhibition featured works by Donald Judd, Brice Marden, Cy Twombly and Andy Warhol, from Saatchi's own collection.

In the 1990s, Saatchi's interest shifted from American minimalism to British art, and he curated the first exhibition of the Young British Artist collective at the Saatchi Gallery in 1992. It is a well-established fact that Saatchi's patronage of the YBAs, which included artists Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin, was instrumental in their development and recognition, catapulting their careers into international markets. "Saatchi had put London on the map as a rival to contemporary art hubs such as Berlin, Paris and New York, and changed the face of the country's cultural scene at a time when modern art in Britain was limited to the exclusive enjoyment of a select few." (Laura French, "The Story of Charles Saatchi," European CEO, 11 March 2015, online)

In 2010 - after three major exhibitions, including The Revolution Continues: New Art from China and Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East, at the Saatchi Gallery's new premises at the Duke of York's Headquarters in London - the gallery turned its focus to India, hosting The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today. Featuring 26 contemporary South Asian artists, this international exhibition showcased both emerging and established artists, including Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat, L N Tallur, Sakshi Gupta, Atul Dodiya, Tushar Joag, and many more. One of the largest of its kind, this exhibition arrived on the heels of a global recession, addressing concerns about the cultural and economic complexities of 21st century India.

The same year, Saatchi announced that he was donating the Saatchi Gallery and over 200 works of art to the British public. Since then, it has been one of the most visited art museums in the world with over 1.5 million visitors, according to a 2014 survey compiled by The Art Newspaper.

The present lot was part of The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today.

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