Shradha Ramesh of Saffronart follows the auction of Public Notice 2 at Thinking Big in London

New York:  Through Jitish Kallat’s Public Notice series emerges a new visual vocabulary that reiterates powerful speeches given by our Nation’s leaders- Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Swami Vivekananda. Preceding his seminal work Public Notice 3, his Public Notice 2 (2007) is a commentary on the devolution of Mahatma Gandhi’s secular vision of non-violence in the face of civil disobedience, which contradicts our eight day propaganda that takes place in our country today.  He confronts the audience by creating a didactic visual awareness of the speech delivered by Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of the famous Dandi March, 11^th March 1930.

In a three dimensional textual format he creates a contextual paradigm that emphasises on the forgotten speeches and the lack of communal co-existence. The factual presence of forty five thousand bone-shaped fibre glass alphabets culminating to a large-scale exhibit echoes the struggle of Colonial India. Each letter creates a textual relic, canonizing Gandhiji’s speech on a large saffron wall that resembles a large book, leaves a lasting impression on the viewer’s mind. The monumental installation was exhibited at the Hall of Nations in Washington (2011) enhancing India’s historic prowess.

Jitish Kallat, Public Notice 2, 2007. Image Credit: http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/jitish_kallat_public7.htm

Serving a higher cause than what it already does, the installation was auctioned in London on October 17 for educational development. Thinking Big was collaborative effort by Saatchi Gallery and Christie’s auction house to raise funds for facilitating free art education programmes for schools, and to support the Saatchi Gallery’s continuing policy for free entry to all exhibitions. Jitish Kallat’s Public Notice 2 is among 50 other artworks that were selected across five different continents, celebrating the twenty-first century sculptures.

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