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Jitish Kallat’s preoccupation with the plight of stree
tchildren and child labourers began in 2005 with th
eexhibition
Humiliation Tax
at Chemould Art Gallery
.Ecto
, a weighed‒down tea‒boy drinking from a kettle
,was part of this exhibition. Covered in black lead, th
einstallation literally leaves a mark on the viewer whe
ntouched. “
Ecto
invokes youthful innocence and th
epossibilities that therein lie, but made of black lead
,fibreglass and stainless steel, and its surface covere
din graphite,
Ecto
leaves a mark on any hand that dare
stouching it, either “affectionately or in sympathy”. I
nKallat’s work... ‘you’ as a ‘viewer’ are never bereft of
arole in the story, the possibility of contamination t
oeven a bystander being ever present.” (““Here Afte
rHere”: India’s Jitish Kallat – artist profile,”
Art Radar
, 1
5February 2017, online)
73
JITISH KALLAT
(b. 1974)
Ecto
2005
Black lead, fibreglass and stainless steel
Height: 66 in (167.6 cm)
Width: 18 in (45.7 cm)
Depth: 18 in (45.7 cm)
$ 23,440 ‒ 28,125
Rs 15,00,000 ‒ 18,00,000
From a limited edition of three
EXHIBITED:
The Lie of the Land
, Chicago: Walsh Gallery,
3‒25 September, 2004 (another from the
edition)
Humiliation Tax
, Mumbai: Gallery
Chemould, 2005 (another from the edition)
Jitish Kallat: Aquasaurus
, Sydney: Sherman
Contemporary Art Foundation, 25 October
‒ 20 December 2008 (another from the
edition)
PUBLISHED:
The Lie of the Land
, Chicago: Walsh Gallery,
2004 (another from the edition)
Humiliation Tax
, Mumbai: Gallery
Chemould, 2005 (another from the edition)
“The city street is my university. One finds all the themes of life and
art – pain, happiness, anger, violence and compassion – played out
here in full volume.”
JITISH KALLAT
72
JITISH KALLAT
(b. 1974)
Active Desktop
Dated and inscribed '‒ (c) 2002 JITISH K / ACTIVE DESKTOP' (lower left
of the left panel); inscribed '(c) JK ACTIVE DESKTOP (centre right of the
right panel, visible on close inspection)
2002
Mixed media on canvas
54.25 x 60 in (138 x 152.6 cm)
$ 15,625 ‒ 23,440
Rs 10,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000
(Diptych)
PROVENANCE:
Acquired fromThe Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
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