'found'
The Great Goddess slaying the Buffalo Demon
The sculpture represents The Great Goddess slaying the Buffalo Demon (Durga Mahisasuramardini), a recurring theme throughout the long history of Indian Art. This contemporary yet faithful interpretation derives its formal language from worldwide pan-historic sources in a truly post-modern celebration of the plastic arts.
The sculpture invokes aspects of Indian religion and mythology, which are universal to human spirituality: The struggle between good and evil, the cycle of destruction and rebirth, and the creation and end of the cosmos.
Hinduism is the world’s oldest major religion. Its art and literature describe deities and rituals whose origins can be traced back to Palaeolithic shamanism and fertility cults. In many cases these are parallel or cognate with the belief systems of the West and the Middle- East before their eclipse by the monotheistic religions. Durga herself is reminiscent of the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar.
Images of powerful women are still rare in Western society. This dramatic portrayal of the Goddess Durga embodies and celebrates the power of the feminine principle.
With true fin de siecle spirit the optical effects of ‘Found’, inspired by contemporary popular entertainment, provide a visionary experience, which potently and eloquently reflects our time.
The title ‘Found’ refers to the action of casting something in metal but also to the found object. Visitors to my studio often ask strange questions. An art historian once said “you find these, do you?” and a critic writing for Modern Painters asked, “Do you find these or make them?” I was puzzled by these questions as I personally have never seen a bronze turtle in a skip, however after some reflection I was forced to conclude that in a way I do find them as they emerge from the making process.
The artist, a long-term resident of the Isle of Dogs, conceived and created the work in East London, during the last decade of the 20th Century.