The Grand Scheme of Things

Objects, memories and rituals come together to create a spectacle. Meera Menezes plays witness to Subodh Gupta's Cosmic Battle.

- Meera Menezes

Subodh Gupta is no stranger to drama. Nowhere was this more evident than in the dimly lit space of Delhi-based Nature Morte's Dhan Mill gallery, where his show Cosmic Battle was mounted from the 25th of February to the 10th of April. Suspended from the ceiling of the cavernous hall was a gigantic brass vessel that rotated slowly on its axis. Couched within it were two similar utensils, one inside the other, their rims forming three shiny concentric circles. In the centre of this trio was a piece of rock that resembled an asteroid, its gritty surface a sharp counterpoint to the glinting metal. There was something almost meditative about this imposing kinetic sculpture, also titled Cosmic Battle, with its ritual-like repetitive movement. By using a quotidian vessel to evoke the other-worldly, the artist also established a link between the material and the spiritual as well as between the terrestrial and the extra-terrestrial. Any visitor stepping into the hall would be dwarfed by the artwork's sheer size, making them acutely aware of their relative insignificance in the scheme of things.