John Baldessari

This catalogue presents an alluring series of mixed media assemblages which the pioneer of American conceptual art produced during his residency in India.

In early 1992, Baldessari was invited to live and work in the compound of the Sarabhai family, patrons of the art in Ahmedabad. The works are a response to his new surroundings, which were inspiring and overwhelming at the same time and had a lasting impact on his oeuvre. Throughout Baldessari's prolific and impactful career, he consistently examined and defied the expectations that influence our perception of art. Drawing from a wide range of sources - advertising, film culture, Marcel Duchamp, and Ludwig Wittgenstein - he created absurdist, complex yet accessible juxtapositions. In this oeuvre, the Ahmedabad series represents an intimate commentary on what it means to look during a moment of reinvention.