Subodh Gupta

Gupta’s works show an affinity for the domestic realm. His sculptures and installations often incorporate objects that are commonplace in Indian culture, such as the kitchen utensils seen in School. In addition to these utensils, Gupta has included in this work an object with personal significance – the stools in School are cast from his father’s low wooden seat, and the brass version of this traditional item still bears his initials in the corner.

By casting these elements in such culturally-loaded materials as brass and steel, multiplying their numbers, and arranging them in a perfect, grid-like pattern in a gallery, Gupta transforms them from traditional, homely items into something extraordinary and enigmatic, producing an act of displacement that speaks to the cultural, economic and social changes faced by contemporary society.