In the Design House, Sadiq, Cosmic Elephant, 1992
Sadiq
Cosmic Elephant
1992
Bronze
65 x 48 x 31 1/2 in.
165 x 122 x 80 cm
Edition of 5
Sadiq was born in Delhi in 1950. He studied painting at the Delhi College of Art, yet after a traumatic experience that left him with shaking hands, he was unable to hold a paintbrush. At the recommendation of his teachers, he transferred to the sculpture department, where he excelled, with the meditative concentration of sculpting helping to control his shaking. In 1975-77 he was awarded a National Cultural Scholarship by the Indian government. He then moved to London in 1982 with a British Council scholarship at the Slade School of Art. With access to the British Museum, he was able to explore its Buddhist and Hindu collections, and he became very interested in African sculpture. That being said, Sadiq specified that ‘I don’t wish to convey the teaching of any particular religion, only my own feelings.’
Cosmic Elephant invokes a playful innocence with its form of a baby elephant, yet its adornment with half-moons indicates an ageless sublimity. Cast in bronze, the 'skin' is coated in a green patina, whereas the half-moons are a polished, yellow bronze. Like veins full of golden ichor, these cosmic symbols break the surface of the otherwise monochromatic skin; Sadiq presents an affinity with divinity in all living things. As art critic Giles Auty wrote, ‘An elephant decorated with moons is one of the artist’s wonderful emblems for the oneness of the universe … The serenity and kindness which informs his work distinguishes it immediately.’
Sadiq has exhibited in group shows at Beaux Arts, Bath in 1991, the IKON Gallery, Birmingham in 1992 and the Hampshire Sculpture Trust Summer Show in 1996. His solo shows have included at the New Art Centre in 1989 and 1999, as well as Gillian Jason Gallery, London in 1991. His work is held at the National Gallery of Modern Arts in New Delhi, and he has commissions across the UK and in Europe.
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