Kanchana Gupta | Open and Close # 21

Courtesy of the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf

Kanchana Gupta’s practice is a process-driven exploration of urban environments and the pressures of migration. Her ongoing fascination with the materiality of paint has developed into bodies of work that range from two-dimensional pieces to sculptural installations. She engages with everyday materials that have strong social significance, such as vermilion powder, henna, sandalwood, jute and tarpaulin. Open and Close #21 is from a recent series that incorporates lace as a sub-structure. The work is made up of up to 30 layers of oil paint and pigment, which are applied onto lace and then separated with fire and peeled back. She considers the history of lace-making as a gendered craft and the material’s association with wealth, power and the erotic.

Gupta has had several solo exhibitions in Singapore and Sydney. She has also participated in numerous group shows internationally including The Sceneries and Portraits of an Era—Featuring the Asia Collection of Benesse Art Site Naoshima at the Fukutake House Asian Gallery in Shodoshima, Japan. In 2024, she was a finalist for the prestigious Sovereign Asian Art Prize.