Lot 1: Dilli Dilwalon Ki

ASHIM PURKAYASTHA (b. 1967)
Dilli Dilwalon Ki
perforation on handmade board
21¾ x 29 5/8 in. (55.2 x 75.5 cm.)
Executed in 2005

A master of allegories, Ashim portrays his experience as a migrant in the city of Delhi through varied images of butterflies in a series of works titled Dilli Dilwalon Ki .

There is a certain amount of playfulness in this image. The butterfly is invertible, with a head on either end. When the image is flipped the wings appear as hearts, signifying love, while the butterfly itself represents the fleeting moments of life.