Description for:

Nek Chand's Outsider Art: The Rock Garden of Chandigarh

Over forty years ago, Nek Chand worked as a road inspector for the public works department in the North Indian city of Chandigarh.

Each evening, he would mount his bicycle and carry, by the hundreds, stones that he had found in the foothills of the Himalayas. In a small jungle clearing, he built extraordinary sculptures from these stones combined with urban debris: corroded metal wires, used sheet metal, detached bicycle parts, and abandoned tubes and tires. In secret, Nek Chand worked nightly to create a veritable kingdom of gods and goddesses alongside a menagerie of elephants, horses, monkeys, and birds - figures constructed from multicolored tissue, glass, and feathers. This fervor of underground activity continued for fourteen years until, in 1972, authorities stumbled upon Nek Chand's extravagant garden and decided - after considerable debate - to support his project. His whimsical rock garden has since become the second most visited site in India after the Taj Mahal.

Authorative text, an interview with the artist, 140 illustrations, and a detailed site map pay homage to this singular fantasy universe.