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No discourse on Indian modernist sculpture would be complete without according a position of centrality to Himmat Shah. His work does not appear to judge the human condition. Instead, it appears to present its existential state, through terms that defy simple definition, inviting us to share in a monumental quietude and the fraternity of being human.
If one stands back to take a telescopic view of his sculpture, it would probably fall in the areas of enigma, domesticity and sheer whim. Himmat Shah turns conventional scale into a mockery and allows for sheer play to dominate his vision, wherein architectural structures are dwarfed and heads enlarged to an enigmatic monumentality.
Published in association with Lund Humphries.
Gayatri Sinha is a well known independent curator and art critic based in New Delhi. She has written books on other contemporary artists of India and she has curated exhibitions of Indian art.