SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART
 
Modern and Contemporary Art from India
February 25, 2011 through September 4, 2011, San Jose Museum of Art
 
 
  UNTITLED, 2007
Fiberglass, fabric and copper
66 x 32 x 32 inches
Collection of Dipti and Rakesh Mathur
Photo: Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai

 
 
Valay Shende
 
Born 1980, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Lives and works in Mumbai (formerly Bombay)

 
In Untitled, Valay Shende emulated the proportions and pose of the sculpture David (ca. 1430) by Italian Renaissance artist Donatello. Shende addressed the related biblical story of the boy taking on Goliath to protect Israel from the Philistines. Here, the future King David is a timeless warrior, covered in leopard pelts but holding a modern rifle in place of his signature slingshot. He stands on an open lotus flower, a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and also the symbol of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).