Valay Shende’s resourceful and meaningful works reflect his personality as a simple man who conveys his thoughts without ambiguity in a direct manner. His ability to bring together diverse mediums and materials to tell a story-steel combined with graphic videos, for instance-stands out for its forcefulness. Reflective steel disks (a signature component of Shende’s work) beckon viewers, their reflections adding to the drama, as each onlooker becomes part of the unfolding story and not merely an observer of the work. The everyday scenes that compose these tableaux convey something poignant about society at large, though Shende alters them with subtle additions and quirky twists to reinforce his message. In Transit, the rear – view mirror of a truck carrying construction workers (all minutely rendered in stainless steel disks) plays a video of scenes shot in wealthy major cities. The reflective disks underscore the ironic juxtaposition at the heart of the work-deceptively simple, meaningful, and thought-provoking. …see the entire article in the print version of December’s Sculpture magazine.
