Inteview - Subodh Gupta

Celebrated global artist Subodh Gupta discusses how his preferred medium of steel portrays meaningful connections to his Indian roots.

- Tina Thakrar

Steel is a predominant feature in your installations. Why do you prefer this medium and what does it represent?

On one hand, stainless steel is a material that means a lot to me symbolically. I grew up with stainless steel utensils, cooking with them, eating in them, washing them. It reminds me of home. On the other hand, since I was very young, the look and feel of stainless steel has always fascinated me. It’s so shiny and draws you in with this illusion of luxury, but then when you touch it, it’s so cold and it repels you. You can never get too close to it. After over 20 years of working with this material, I still find that it surprises me and I get new ideas of how to work with it.

How did you develop an interest in creative arts?

I became involved with a small street theatre troupe in college... that’s how it all started. I was making posters for some of our plays and someone suggested that I should do painting! A lot of my work is influenced by my early days in theatre.

What was your first large-scale installation? Tell us about your experience.

Not necessarily large-scale, but my first memorable ‘installation’ was a piece called 29 Mornings, where I took small wooden stools or ‘patlas’ and painted each one with memories from my childhood. Something clicked after I did that work and I got excited about materials outside the canvas; it was really a turning point in my career. However, I still do consider myself, first and foremost, a painter.