Valay Shende

Astronaut

2023

Inspired by his surroundings, Shende uses his body of work to capture the challenges and dichotomies that characterize India today, particularly the striking divide between modern and industrial views on one hand, and traditional religious ones on the other. His recent sculptures, unique in both their process and scale, are intricately built out of minute metal discs, pocket watches, copper-plated fiberglass and other non-traditional materials. The combination of video art and sculptural installations in his practice is also unique, adding and entirely new dimension to classical ideas of sculpture. He is a keen and sensitive observer of his surroundings and concerned about the common main's and tribulations of day to day life. Valay feels an artist owes a responsibility to the society and firmly believes an ideal world care-created. Valay's works are in subtle ways his attempts ways his attempts to question the maladies affecting urban society and humans today. He is a keen and sensitive observer of his surroundings and concerned about the common man's trial and tribulation of day -to- day life .He feels an artist to the society and firmly believes an ideal world can be re-created .He wishes the audience to upon the issues plaguing man today. Valay Primarily creates video work and sculptural installations .His observations and feelings set off the production of his work and hence determine the choice of media .His works demonstrate his technical deftness and ability to transforms a thought into a work of art. He is quite a contrast to the life-size sculptural installations he creates .If the Nagpur –born artists is shy to a fault, his work are forceful and intensely articulate. Sensitively thought – out and superbly crafted, they bring out the essences of the artist's vision of what is right and what is not. Through skillfully rendered objects, profiles and symbols they put across his ideas and concerns about the present day, religion ridden society. Valay's sculptures stand out by their sheer weight both in physical sense. Bhaiya Indian, a six foot copper-plated fiber glass sculpture of a security guard, is a case in point. The natural bearing of the protagonist takes curious twists when the viewer recognizes that he has not two but eight arms! While the predictable rifle is held passively in one of the head, other carry the burden of an iron box, a stethoscope, a tea kettle,a dead fish and a mason's plastering implement .More surprises are in store: the guard's spinal cord is exposed in the rear , with a set of moving wheels and gear attached to it ; this would make the arms move when connected to an electric point. The whole set up is natural as it intriguing. The massage too is loud and clear, particular when one see that the watchman is bare save for the slender underwear wrapped around his waist and a sturdy uniform cap dangling on his head.