london an iconic lifesized elephant in a crouched position by ukborn indian sculptor bharti kher will go under the hammer at sothebys tomorrow and is expected to fetch rs 684 crorethe skin speaks a language not its own is one of the most iconic and talkedabout works by kher the auction house saidaweinspiring in its scale detail and beauty the female indian elephant will be offered in sothebys contemporary art evening auction and is estimated at 7000001000000 poundsthis is a work which took bharti kher 10 months to create every fold and recess of the sunken form is meticulously contoured by the intricately arranged patterns of thousands of bindis that organically swarm across the beast in a second skinit is indias identity in all its glorious complexities that is the hero of this masterpiece and the sculpture remains a beacon of indias avant garde art scene at the beginning of the 21st century says james sevier director and specialist sothebys contemporary art departmentcommenting on the sculpture zara porterhill director and head of sothebys indian art department says despite our familiarity with elephants nothing prepares the viewer for the emotional experience of seeing khers elephant huge and incongruous in the gallery spacewith her head resting on her front foot she is brought down to our level and her glassy black eye entreats a communion and proximity rarely encountered in the wildbrought to its knees in a seemingly untenable position simultaneously peaceful and painful the skin speaks a language not its own is a vision that engenders extreme pathos from the viewer is she rising or is she falling resting or expiring living or dyingkher combines two symbols of indian culture the bindi and the elephant in a powerfully emotive sculpture which leaves the viewer asking whether this is a vision of india on the rise or a country exhausted by its own rapid modernisation