Who thought mundane things like a handful of mangoes, stainless steel utensils, cardboard boxes, wires, tables and chairs would fetch Subodh Gupta practically a cult status in the art fraternity, especially abroad? Subodh rapidly drew the attention of art lovers a few years ago when his “Saat Samundar Paar”
His “Line of Control”, consisting of Indian cooking utensils and a colossal mushroom cloud constructed entirely of pots and pans, was shown as part of the Tate Triennial at the Tate Britain gallery in London in October this year. His “Very Hungry God”, a skull made of stainless steel utensils, brought immense response from European countries. His obsession with shiny Indian cooking vessels spread like wildfire.

Currently, Subodh is participating in the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at Brisbane, besides lecturing in Hong Kong on his works.

Subodh’s works arouse curiosity regarding not only choice of medium but also the story behind them. The 42-year-old native of Mohalla Chhoti Badalpura, Patna, unravels the mystery behind his penchant for shiny utensils. “When I came to Delhi in 1991 to explore my horizon in art, I used to do my own cooking. The best ideas come while you are doing your regular chores at home. I wanted to do something different. Utensils became my medium and fortunately, they clicked too. Though an artist never chooses a medium to people’s liking, I was just too lucky to have hit their attention.” Youngest among three sisters and two brothers, Subodh lost his father when he was a child. Much later, Subodh left for Delhi searching for better prospects.

A sensitive soul, and himself a migrant, he felt the pain of migration and economic disparity. This found expression in creations like “Return Home” and “Across the Seven Seas” where he uses baggage trolleys of modern airports that allude to the grim historical reality of migration from India, especially his home State Bihar. The works attracted people from across the globe. Subodh’s videos and oil and acrylic paintings are also never free of nostalgia, with Indian streets and everyday objects as recurring symbols.

But now, his new works are becoming different. For instance, a three-dimensional reworking in bronze of Duchamp’s mustachioed Mona Lisa that is showing at Hauser & Wirth, U.K., hints at his association with European art. Agrees the artist, “Art is the same all over the world. Now I keep on thinking how to tell ‘my’ story in ‘their’ language.” His next work is a nine-foot tall Durga idol cast in bronze which he is going to showcase at a show in Ukraine. He explains, “We have a ‘parampara’ of making images. It is our ‘story’ and a part of ‘our’ culture. I am trying to tell this story through a language they understand.”

Tags: angoes, arts, cardboard boxes, crafts, exhibition, stainless steel utensils, tables and chairs, wires