Lot 45: Chintan Upadhyay b. 1972 , Together for life whether we like it or not oil and acrylic on canvas

signed, titled and dated 2006 on the reverse oil and acrylic on canvas

measurements 213.3 by 304.8 cm. alternate measurements 84 by 120 in.

Mutants (Sorry does not matter any more), Sarjan Art Gallery, 2006, illustrated

Executed in 2006
PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
Chintan's work is a comment on consumerism and the commercialisation that has resulted from the economic expansion of India. His work addresses how South Asians identify themselves within a global situation. The artist states 'We are acquainted with technology and born with tradition'.Chintan takes these elements of tradition and modernity and pulls them together in the same image. He marks his babies skin with 'provocative and titillating images carefully culled out from the Indian miniature tradition'. The artist compares this cross-fertilization to a DJ remixing a record questioning the originality and identity of the cloned form. For Chintan, 'there are no longer any 'true' or essential identities, instead by virtue of our state of hyper commoditization we are left with [a] series of detached, distanced, alienated and isolated images which are merely 'copies of copy' holding no claims to the essential truth.' (Sanjeev Khandekar) Initially Chintan studied science but found that art allowed him to express his thoughts and concerns on genetic engineering and cultural hybridization on a global stage. Chintan created the 'Designer baby'; idealised male infants with 'plump and defiant bodies' that are placed within the realms of society, receptors to the external factors that determine identity and survival. The characterization of the babies has changed; Mutants and Smart Alec have evolved as a by-product of the Designer baby, sometimes they appear angry, arrogant or happy displaying both the anxieties of the artist and society. Chintan's work is an ongoing project, he is not returning to the same theme but is producing a continuous performance where his ideas are designed, planned and displayed within the cultural space of the Metropolis. By taking this approach to his work he questions the traditional concept of an 'exhibition' and 'the babies who repeatedly appear in Chintan's repertoire of works have by now gained some sort of brand status not only for them but also for the artist.' ( JohnyML Chintan Upadhyay, Metastasis of Signs, 2008) In this particular work Chintan uses the taboo subject of Siamese Twins to highlight the potential malfunction in the cloning process of the Designer baby. These 'brand new' perfect babies with their skin tatooed with ancient Indian imagery are joined for life, are they with individual character or duplicates of the same entity?