Subodh Gupta

Nature Morte, New Delhi

New Delhi, Nature Morte, Saat Samundar Paar, December, 2003

Jhaveri, A., A Guide to 101 Modern and Contemporary Indian Artists, Mumbai, 2005, p. 114 illus.

Menezes, M., 'Made in India', ART India Magazine, Volume X, Issue III, Quarter III, 2005, p. 72 illus.

Subodh Gupta, Nature Morte, New Delhi, 2005, p. 6 and 27 illus.

Light stretcher mark in center of canvas from a previous stretcher that has since been replaced. This painting has recently be cleaned thoroughly to address light spotting and has received a light coat of varnish.
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This canvas belongs to a suite of works that centres around the theme of people in transit. Usually seen in airports and railway stations, Gupta depicts the migrant workers and their distinctive luggage. Wrapped in cardboard or bound in cloth, their precious possessions are tied with rope and piled high atop taxis and trolleys. The parcels represent the livelihoods and aspirations of this transient part of society. As with many of Gupta's works the status of these everyday objects are transformed into works of art and propelled across a global stage. 'He glorifies the lovingly swaddled bundles, making them central to his paintings.' (Meera Menezes, 'Made in India', ART India Magazine, Volume X, Issue III, Quarter III, 2005, p. 72). Through his works, Gupta highlights the plight of the rural migrant worker and their position within an increasingly globalised society. Gupta was born and raised in Bihar, a marginalised state with a history of social injustice and corruption. Like the workers that he portrays, Gupta has made the move from rural Bihar to the metropolis of Delhi.

Following on from the Saat Samundar Paar canvases, Gupta went on to produce a group of sculptures and installations that highlighted the journey that these wrapped packages took (see image of Everything is Inside, 2004). These wrapped and packaged parcels remind one of Man Ray's cloaked sewing machine and Christo's monumental wrapped objects.This series of works represent the role of the Indian emigrant, who leaves for another country with hope, materialistic yearnings and nationalist pride (Peter Nagy 'Transitory Indecisions and Fluctuating Monuments' Subodh Gupta, Nature Morte and Sakshi Gallery, 2006, unpaginated).