VIPEKSHA GUPTA

In this body of work, Gupta showcases her ability to create fluidity and grant a richness of narrative to her deep red works. The subtle abstraction of her work is seen within the repeated marks, geometries and the resistant voids made within the material. The subtle abstraction of her work is seen within the repeated marks, geometries and the resistant voids made within the material. The surfaces of these works are generated through the iteration of small units into patterns that the artist then proceeded to render dynamic through gestures of rupture, incision, or slippage. She created folds, hinges or selvages of light, around which darkness could pivot and ripple. Gupta carefully plays with the structure of the paper, creating an interplay between illumination and shadow. This use of light shifts the narrative of her work as these folds generate movement, granting fluidity to the deep and mesmerising colours which she carefully crafts.

Gupta is an Indian artist living and working in New Delhi, India. Gupta’s work can be seen as a combination of contemplation of impermanence and an insight into the true nature of reality. Gupta is interested in the theme of transience which can be seen throughout her creative process and artworks. Her works show a deep understanding of materiality as well as its fragility and ephemerality. After years of experimentation and thought, Gupta has reversed her process by focusing on “the light in the dark”. In an attempt to create an abstract picture, she has no compositional goals. Her initial drive is choice by chance, which strengthens a random attitude formed by a process of constant unpredictable desires in an ocean of mental tranquillity. Gupta’s method of practice is very ordered but when it comes to composing, the work comes out by chance, following her intuition. Her works can be characterised by the juxtaposition of drawing and photography, first being abstract and second being descriptive, manifesting her interest in exploring the power of images on paper and the possibilities of expression offered by different pictorial mediums. A wide range of pictorial references interact in Gupta’s work, such as modernism, abstract expressionism, minimalism and suprematism, allowing her to construct a more visceral language.