SUNIL GAWDE | Still Alive - I

Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai Acquired from the above by the current owner

New Delhi, India Habitat Centre,"blind bulb etc...", Sakshi Gallery, 23 - 30 July 2005 Beijing,  International Science and Technology Centre, China International Gallery Exposition (CIGE), 3 - 6 May 2007

J. Kallat and R. Hoskote, Sunil Gawde, Foundation B&G, Mumbai, 2009, p. 117 – 122

There are scratches across the surface of the work, especially in the areas that have come into contact with the plinth and small areas of paint loss to the base. The filament and the loose component inside the bulb are part of the work. The work is in good overall condition as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"As a sculptor, my interest is in choosing everyday objects and presenting them in magnified form as objects for meditation. Not as functional objects, but as foci that prompt the viewer to reflect on the larger conceptual questions that lie buried under the flow of everyday life. Questions of illumination and blindness to insight, movement and stasis, animate my sculptural work. Household appliances gain symbolic meanings in my works. The common light bulb, the shaving razor and the clock pendulum begin to carry the weight of knowledge, danger and the relentless passing of time." (Fabrice Bousteau, Made by Indians, Paris, 2006, p. 468). The artist commenting on 3 Blind Bulbs II, 2006, that were exhibited at L'art a la plage, Ramatuelle, France, states "I wanted my three bulbs to look like residue from the sea, to be placed as if they had randomly floated to the shore. What interests me most when I scale up an object is that the same objects which we use and take for granted in normal life suddenly demand our attention, the moment they are magnified to a great size." (ibid. p. 482).

Unlike Pop artist Claes Oldenburg, whose monumental sculptures of everyday objects was born of mirth and playfulness to chisel away at society's solemnity, Sunil Gawde's monumental sculptures are inherently serious.