Nature Morte opens permanent space for the gallery in Mumbai, occupying the entire third floor of Block A of the historic Dhanraj Mahal at Apollo Bandar. Joining the family of contemporary art galleries in the Colaba neighborhood, their windows look directly upon the Bombay Yacht Club and the new tower of the Taj Mahal Hotel.
The gallery opens with a solo show of new works by the celebrated artist Subodh Gupta, who was born in Bihar in 1964 and is based in the New Delhi suburb of Gurgaon. This is the seventh solo show that Nature Morte is hosting with Gupta in India. Opening their Mumbai space with him is particularly appropriate as they also opened their Neeti Bagh space in New Delhi (home to the gallery from 2003 to 2020) with his solo show.
Entitled “A small village, around the corner, up in a mountain,” Gupta’s exhibition will include sculptures, paintings, and wall reliefs, all created in the past few years.
The works in the exhibition continue with Gupta’s provocative investigations into the associations of common objects, realized as complex free standing sculptures, wall reliefs, and paintings. Vessels used for cooking that are ubiquitous throughout India remain the artist’s basic vocabulary but a wide range of other objects now join in the mix, most of which continue to allude to the social stratifications of Indian society.
Gupta’s use and depictions of these humble objects act as metaphors for the passage of time, our human condition, the bonds of family and community. His titles for many of these works speak of the discoveries and mysteries associated with travel and the theatre of life.
Words Platform Desk
Date 22.01.2024