Cause and Effect

Christie’s will auction works of leading contemporary artists in support of Khoj

Written by Vandana Kalra

New Delhi | November 24, 2014 12:50 AM IST

3 min read

A Crow by Atul Dodiya (above); Guldasta by Subodh Gupta

Caked with cow dung and mud, he sat in shavasana in an open field where objects collected from villagers, including a hookah and a plough, had been sunk in cow dung paste. For Subodh Gupta the performative piece invoked childhood memories of his life in rural Bihar. The 1999 enactment titled Pure was one of his famed works.

Performed at Khoj two years after the artist founded the organisation with Anita Dube, Pooja Sood and Manisha Parekh, this was followed by several more by Gupta at the venue. After his most recent engagement with the organisation in 2012, The Spirit Eaters, a comment on the community of Kanthababas, sought by bereaved families to give peace to the soul of the deceased, now the acclaimed artist is pitching in with funds for the space. He is among 10 leading artists who have donated artwork that will be up as part of Christie’s India auction in December. The proceeds will be forwarded to Khoj. The auction will also have works by veterans such as Tyeb Mehta, Jehangir Sabavala and Bhupen Khakhar.

“Khoj has changed the way I think… (It) has given a platform not only to artists, but also to art lovers, it has given something to all of Delhi. Look at how many young artists come from Khoj, and how many international artists gain from their experience here,” says Gupta.
His installation of stainless steel utensils, Guldasta, is estimated at Rs 20 to 30 lakh. The leading work among the select 10 is an Atul Dodiya 54 x 78 inch canvas estimated between Rs 30 and Rs 50 lakh. The 2011 work titled A Crow has the artist in conversation with Mahatma Gandhi. “Khoj is an ideal platform for new and experimental art. The dialogue which Khoj has initiated through various workshops has given new directions to a younger generation of artists,” says the Mumbai-based artist.

While Indian-origin British artist Anish Kapoor has contributed with a minimalist acrylic In Mind (estimate Rs 25 to 35 lakh), after 20 years Dayanita Singh has photographed a commissioned family portrait.

There are some familiar works too — Shilpa Gupta’s neon WheredoIendandyoubegin that lit up the Edinburgh sky in August and Mithu Sen’s mixed media watercolour on Japanese Kozo paper made for Louis Vuitton in 2011. “I have benefited from Khoj over the last 12 years and want it to live forever,” says Sen.

The works will be exhibited from November 28 to 30 at Taj Mahal Hotel, ManSingh Road. The auction will take place on December 11 at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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Jehangir Sabavala Tyeb Mehta