Incredible India' is the first of a series of works in which Anton Laborde wishes to
explore the theme of, as he puts it, 'absurdity'. Having lived in India in his early youth, the
artist remains both fascinated and questioned by the implausible, even unreal
cohabitation of situations involving humans and/or man-made objects in natural
environments where one would not expect to find the impact of man. This is the case of
the Indian "Shop" that appears at the centre of the work. If one looks in detail, this
"Shop" offers for sale both traditional Indian flower necklaces and branded consumer
products: bags of crisps, sweets, biscuits, bags of soap, and more. These products,
packed in plastic bags, are found, along with the "Shop", in a lush, undoubtedly tropical
landscape. By placing the Indian "Shop" in a natural environment - in this case a jungle -
the artist questions not only consumerism and its impact on the environment, but the
absurdity of the situation and a curious beauty.