Lot 24: Surekha , The Fragrance of Jasmine eighty-three framed colored photographs edition 1 of 2

eighty-three framed colored photographs edition 1 of 2

measurements each 9 by 6 3/4 in. alternate measurements each 22.5 by 17.5 cm.

Indian Summer, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, Paris, October 2005
Sites of Recurrence, Boras Museum, Sweden, September 2003; Dakshina Chitra Museum, Chennai, January 2003
Fragrance of Jasmine, Khoj International workshop, Mysore, 2002

Indian Summer, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts Paris, Paris, 2005, pp. 260-267 illustrated

executed 2002
In creating this work the artist collected about 350 photographs from a photographic studio in Mysore Taken by three generations of male photographers from the 1960's onwards, each photograph depicts the tradition in South India where a girl or young woman is photographed wearing an elaborate jasmine braid to mark an important stage in her life such as reaching puberty, getting married or becoming pregnant. A mirror is placed behind the girl to show the viewer the braid. As each photo is a similar format our focus is drawn to the individual expressions of the girls, some displaying excitement, others unease. By framing each individual photo with mirror glass so that the viewer's reflection is visible alongside the outward gaze of the women, Surekha heightens the unease between the viewer and the viewed.