value

Thought behind the Thought

What does 'value' mean? We are constantly judging our worth by the impact we make on people's lives with our presence. Whether we are the center of attraction in a group, whether we win a debate, whether people notice us and our work. But that is only half the story!
A person's real value is understood when he/she is absent from the scene. If someone remembers you for your work, if someone pauses for a moment and thinks about you, if someone feels that their day would have been better had you been a part of it ..... that will tell you how valuable your 'being you' is! 
Presence can create an impact, absence creates value!

About the Art 
A fascinating way to express meaning in art is to convey what is 'not there' through what is 'there', right in front of your eyes. Expressing the 'unseen' through the obvious!, like words conveying a deeper meaning in poetry. Like the sculptures below, giving you a hint of what is actually absent from the visual frame!

The Sculpture showing  the artist, with his head tucked into the wall, it's presence highlighted by it's obvious absence!

The hand fully expresses the person, and the action that is actually absent from the scene.

A very effective representation of the force of 'Gravity' that cannot be seen, but is forever present.

"Kaayam", the sculptural 'skins' shed off artistically on the walls. This installation evokes and emphasizes the sense of the body that is actually absent from the sculpture.

A very dynamic sculpture, where the 'angel' emerges from a block of stone and merges into nothingness, by evaporation. An angel that was absent, expressed itself and vanished again!

Alwar Balasubramanium, the creator of these works, is a sculptor, painter, printmaker, and installation artist, currently based in Bangalore, India. His work, which focuses on the body and its material relationship to the world, has been the subject of international acclaim, and has been featured in museums and exhibitions worldwide.

Alwar Balasubramaniam's sculpture plays with time, shape, shadow, perspective: four tricky sensations that can reveal — or conceal — what's really out there.

Do watch the TED talk below fro a glimpse into his mind and thought process.

https://www.ted.com/talks/alwar_balasubramaniam_sculpture_of_substance_and_absence?language=en#t-990790

Alwar Balasubramaniam's work aches to express the overlooked, the invisible, the inexpressible. Quiet white sculptural forms, hung on a wall, unlock philosophical questions as one watches the light pass over them. What is their form, and what is their shadow? What are those mysterious white hands reaching for, around the corner and through the wall?Trained in painting and printmaking, Balasubramaniam has been experimenting with a range of materials (fiberglass, wax, gold) to create sculptural works that bring forth his ideas and his search process. His work is often very tactile, very physical, but it symbolizes an exploration of big questions:what defines the self? what confines us? how do light and shadow shape our view of the world?

“Mr. Balasubramaniam, self-taught as a sculptor, is young, savvy and in the middle of a spurt of growth. It could take him anywhere, but there’s already a lot here.” — Holland Cotter, New York Times(www.ted.com)

Credit and Source of information

www.ted.com, http://ted.tumblr.com/post/80063091142/why-does-alwar-balasubramaniam-create-sculptures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Balasubramaniam#Work
http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag08/dec_08/balasub/balasub.shtml
http://artist.christies.com/A-Balasubramaniam-10592-bio.aspx
http://artasiapacific.com/Magazine/WebExclusives/AlwarBalasubramaniamAlwarBalasubramaniam