Surendran Nair

Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, New York
Saffronart, 15 June 2011, lot 61

Berlin, The Fine Art Resource, Under the Skin of Simulation,  2003

R. Hoskote, Itinerant Mythologies, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, 2009

in good condition, colours more vivid in reality, as viewed
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The current lot is an early canvas from the artist's Cuckoonebulopolis series, which takes its name from the ideal world between heaven and earth that the Greek playwright Aristophanes first imagined in his satire, Birds. Discussing this painting, C. Sambrani observes 'Here, the nude male actor is placed in an intermediate space bordered seemingly by the arcades of Rajashthani architecture, staring into infinity even as he pricks his own finger on the barb of a costume / contraption representing the scorpion's tail. Incidentally, the Sanskrit word for actor: patra, also connotes vessel or container. The figures are thus cast as vehicles in an 'unreal' or hyperreal theatrical space that embraces many histories and traditions in order to get under the skin of contemporary reality.' (Under the Skin of Simulation: Three Contemporary Painters, The Fine Art Resource exhibition catalogue, 2003, not paginated).