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Lot Essay
The Orientalist by Huma Bhabha is a work that instantly conveys compelling ideas of exoticism, power and otherness. Cast in bronze in 2007, Bhabha's figure is theatrically enthroned and poses as an ominous figure of authority. Simultaneously primitive and futuristic, it sits as an imposing relic from a fictional history. A regal air emanates from its polished geometric armour, molten death mask and large lumbering feet. Influenced by Egyptian and Indian antique art as well as horror and science fiction, The Orientalist dramatically recalls the iconography of imperialism.
While recalling the iconographic representation of an Egyptian Pharoah, ambiguity undeniably resonates within the work. Here, the viewer is confronted with a body that is under duress through its exaggerated and grotesque anatomy. Bhabha presents an isolated, mutant figure on what appears to be part-throne, part-electric chair. Portrayed with skeletal abjectness, the artist questions the purpose of commemoration and the legitimacy of heritage - making the work an anti-heroic monument to human frailty.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Bhabha's work is often underlined by a gritty humour and raw brutalism that challenges the fallacy of ambition and remembrance. The 'unfinished' appearance of the sculpture made apparent through the weathered bronze patina both exposes the artist's process of making and the materiality of the construction. The result is a work that is as powerful as it is cryptic. The dejected and archaic form in The Orientalist ultimately evokes notions of a lost utopia that mirrors a haunting sense of contemporary anxiety.
While recalling the iconographic representation of an Egyptian Pharoah, ambiguity undeniably resonates within the work. Here, the viewer is confronted with a body that is under duress through its exaggerated and grotesque anatomy. Bhabha presents an isolated, mutant figure on what appears to be part-throne, part-electric chair. Portrayed with skeletal abjectness, the artist questions the purpose of commemoration and the legitimacy of heritage - making the work an anti-heroic monument to human frailty.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Bhabha's work is often underlined by a gritty humour and raw brutalism that challenges the fallacy of ambition and remembrance. The 'unfinished' appearance of the sculpture made apparent through the weathered bronze patina both exposes the artist's process of making and the materiality of the construction. The result is a work that is as powerful as it is cryptic. The dejected and archaic form in The Orientalist ultimately evokes notions of a lost utopia that mirrors a haunting sense of contemporary anxiety.