Osian's Auction Catalogue Select Masterpieces of Indian Modern and Contemporary Art | June 2009

97 44 V. Ramesh (b.1958) Wages of Samsara Oil on canvas, 2002 Inscribed in English ‘V Ramesh, Wages of Samsara, Oil on Canvas 2002’ on verso 73.2 x 95.2 in (186.0 x 242.0 cm) INR 1,200,000 – 1,500,000 USD 25,000 – 31,250 Exhibition Reference ‘Thousand and one Desires’, Threshold Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2004 “The work has quotes from a popular image of hell used in traditional south indian painting and also is a pun on the well known phrase ‘wages of sin or samsara’. The images depict various forms of punishment meted out to people engaged in unethical activities raising the dilemma as to what is considered right and what wrong. The painting also has four verses written on the all the four sides of the canvas, verses sourced from an ancient scripture that extol a person to be detached and continue all his worldly activities with a sense of playfulness as well as detachment. The work incorporates not only imagery from popular visual culture but also hints at philosophical truths with a sense of playfulness” – Vedhanbatla Ramesh