Grosvenor Vadehra is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by the internationally
acclaimed Indian sculptor Ravinder Reddy, in his first solo exhibition in the UK. The exhibition
will coincide with the installation of a large specially fabricated sculpture at the outdoor site of
the Economist Plaza, 25 St. James’s Street, in association with the Contemporary Arts
Society.
Included in the exhibition at Grosvenor Vadehra’s London gallery are two female nudes
sculpted in fibreglass on a grand scale. Reddy’s monumental sculptures of women are among
the most visible and recognisable examples of contemporary South Asian Art. One of the first
contemporary Indian artists to draw critical attention in America following his show at Deitch
Projects in 2001, he appears in collections such as that of Frank Cohen, as well as attracting
attention at the contemporary art auctions of Christies and Sotheby’s. Fusing pop and folk
sensibilities with the traditions of Hindu sculpture, his works suggest a multifaceted femininity
that is at once rooted in the past whilst embracing the contemporary world.
Decorated with brightly coloured thick car paint and gold gilt, Reddy’s nudes appear to be
kitsch personified. However, their grand, confrontational stance and unblinking stare prevents
them from becoming a comic spectacle - Reddy’s works would be neither out of place in a
modern bazaar nor in an Indian temple. Some are given ordinary Indian names while others
are bestowed with the names of great deities. “My Life force is women – they are the source
of growth and life in my work.” Drawing inspiration from the real people he witnesses in New
Delhi, these wide eyed and self-assured women are the everyday goddesses of an urban
age.
G. Ravinder Reddy was born in Andhra Pradesh (1956) and educated at M.S University,
Goldsmith’s College, University of London and the Royal College of Art