Bharti Kher, Ancestor, 2022
Courtesy the artist; Hauser & Wirth; Perrotin, Paris; Nature Morte, New Delhi; and is in the collection of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.
Courtesy the artist; Hauser & Wirth; Perrotin, Paris; Nature Morte, New Delhi; and is in the collection of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.
Courtesy the artist; Hauser & Wirth; Perrotin, Paris; Nature Morte, New Delhi; and is in the collection of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.
Courtesy the artist; Hauser & Wirth; Perrotin, Paris; Nature Morte, New Delhi; and is in the collection of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.
Sep 8, 2022 - Aug 27, 2023
Doris C. Freedman Plaza
This colossal sculpture reflects Kher’s cross-cultural identity and her appreciation for India’s rich material culture. Every meaning-laden detail and distressed surface of the original hand-crafted object has been meticulously magnified to reflect the journey of this matriarch’s creation. In contrast to urban statuary that commemorates historic individuals or events, Ancestor enters the public space as an allegorical representation paying homage to both the generations that came before and those to follow. Kher’s temporary monument echoes the spirit of the Statue of Liberty. She is an empowered force fostering a diverse community—a hybrid figure whose symbolic references to multiculturalism and plurality embody the possibility of an interconnected space of belonging and care.
The exhibition is curated by Public Art Fund Adjunct Curator, Daniel S. Palmer, PhD
Ancestor is commissioned by Public Art Fund, New York, and is in the collection of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.
Video By Sandenwolff