Ballerina

Ballerina is a contemporary sculpture by Valay Shende, the Indian artist known for building his figures by hand from thousands of small metal elements. A dancer rises on a single pointe, her back arched and one leg drawn up behind her, while her arms open into the space around her.

The whole body is assembled from small stainless steel discs, cut and welded one by one. From a distance the surface reads as a continuous, polished skin that catches the light of the room; up close it breaks down into countless identical industrial units. The lightness of the pose and the weight of the material pull against each other: a moment of balance that dance makes look effortless is rebuilt here through slow, repetitive labour.

That tension runs through Shende’s practice, which looks at labour, migration and the pressures of contemporary urban life. Set on a round black base and standing 122 cm high, Ballerina holds the centre of a room and reveals a different silhouette from every angle.

Available for private viewing at Tilsitt Gallery in Porto, or worldwide delivery upon inquiry.