SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART
 
Modern and Contemporary Art from India
February 25, 2011 through September 4, 2011, San Jose Museum of Art
 
 
  SINK, 2007
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas and panels
48 x 48 inches
Collection of Dipti and Rakesh Mathur
Photo: Courtesy Chemould Gallery, Mumbai
 
 
Dhruvi Acharya
 
Born 1971, Mumbai (formerly Bombay)
Lives and works in Mumbai
 
In Sink (2007), Dhruvi Acharya created a landscape marred by violence and environmental change. The central figure is sinking through in an ominous atmosphere, thick with machine guns, helicopters, bottle bombs, and comic-book explosions: Bang, Boom, Pow. Amidst these elements of popular culture is the triple-pronged Trident of Shiva, used by the Hindu Lord of Destruction to destroy the cosmos in preparation for a new world.

Acharya frequently presents female protagonists; in this case, a jeweled aristocrat whose helplessness in this polluted and brutal world is indicated by her severed hand. Through her evocative imagery, Acharya illuminated the psychological and emotional stresses of urban and environmental degradation.