A. BALASUBRAMANIAM | Traces (Diptych)

Christies New York, 12 September 2012, lot 302 Acquired from the above by the current owner

Black panel: There are stains and watermarks along the lower edge and upper right of the canvas. There are small spots of paint loss visible all four corners of the canvas. White panel: There are faint stains along the lower right edge and a minor loss of medium along the upper right edge of the canvas. Small smudges are also visible along all sides of the canvas. This work is in overall good 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."

Balasubramaniam's Traces is a continuation of his Limited from Unlimited series from 1999 that explored the concept of trace and the use of his own magnified fingerprint to address the idea of autograph and duplication. The concept of trace is something that the artist arrived at through his questioning of "What really makes us?" As the artist states “ It's actually [the] past, what makes a person… but when you look at the past, the way to understand the past is only by the traces available, because we cannot go back [to] the past. It can be ruins, or it can be music, or it can be painting or drawing or writing, whatever it is. But it is just a kind of trace of that time.” This fascinated Balasubramaniam and he began to explore ways of ‘capturing traces,’ using various mediums including sculpture where the artist created a cast of himself and as seen in the current work where he has captured the trace of a thumbprint. “Because, knowingly or unknowingly, whatever we do… we leave our traces here.”  (Alwar Balasubramaniam, Art of Substance and Absence, talk given at TEDIndia, Mysore, 5-7 November 2009)