Subodh Gupta

“Shit is shit, but belief changes it into something else, it becomes something holy in this part of the world.”

- Subodh Gupta



(G. Adam, 'Subodh Gupta – Everything is Inside, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi – review', Financial Times, 12 February 2014, https://www.ft.com/content/3d6279b6-93d0-11e3-a0e1-00144feab7de)

Painted in 2000, Gauri #1 is a rare and early work in Subodh Gupta's œuvre that incorporates the medium that launched the artist to fame: cow dung. The year before, the artist conceived Pure, a seminal performance-video work in which the artist is covered in cow manure and shown slowly hosing himself. “Where I grew up, cow dung was used for spiritual cleansing, something no longer believed in the city.” (ibid)

In Gauri #1, the artist applies cow dung liberally to the canvas, forming a striking ground upon which stands a cow, rendered in almost photo-realistic style. The title Gauri, an auspicious name, establishes a connection to the Hindu deity Parvati whose vahana or animal vehicle is the sacred cow. Through the subject matter, medium and vast scale, Gupta elevates this revered animal into the sphere of Contemporary art.