In Vivek Vilasini’s photographic artwork (ink on canvas), the disciples in Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century painting are supplanted by young, burqa-clad women.

Only their eyes can be seen, vivid expressions ranging from fury to despair. The carefully staged scene shows the women mimicking the original postures, down to the positioning of hands on the table and the simple white tablecloth. But, by translating the image into the present, the composition takes on a new, charged meaning.

Vilasini, an Indian artist living in Bangalore, made the work in 2008 (one of an edition of nine). It went on sale in a Christie’s auction of contemporary Indian art in London on 10 June 2009, valued at between £15,000 and £20,000.