Rhythms of Subodh Gupta's rural life

His passion for cows is shown in the auspicious occasion of birth of Lord Krishna, Janamashtami. Numerous depictions of Lord Krishna, the gopas, and the cows who sit in rapt adoration constantly close to their Lord may be found in Indian miniature art. 

Speaking of cows, installation artist and genius Subodh Gupta has relished the numerous cultural allusions that the word "cow" evokes. The Way Home, Gupta's first cow installation, was included in a show with the same name at Chemould Gallery in Mumbai. "My installation of the sitting cow, with all the different vessels surrounding, was about culture, it was about an ordinary living, but it was also about state of mind," he adds in a phone chat from London. 

The items he employed in his work appear as ordinary vernacular symbols, elegantly simple icons that depict the complicated social, economic, and cultural context that exists in modern-day India. 

Rituals and memories 

Gupta provides the following example: "Rituals and memories are extremely significant for me. I recall in my home town in Bihar, my mother would tell me to acquire the three items—mango leaf, doodhiya grass, and cow dung—for the pooja. The ceremony and the aroma of the cow dung cake each produced their own unique alchemy. I would go to the gaushaala every morning to obtain milk. However, milk was delivered to my home on a bicycle when I first arrived in Delhi”. 

 

Therefore, when I made installations, the memory and experience were represented by the motorbike with milk containers, the scooter with pails, and the bicycle with pails. Milk serves as the medium, and the cow serves as a tangible illustration of how dependent man is on animals. Gupta has created massive sculptures, paintings, installations, photographs, videos, and performances over the years using a wide range of media. 

Meaning & Message 

In the village, I would go fetch it from the cows; in the city, the bicycle acted as the facilitator. I was contemplating the milk, as well as the vehicle used to convey it. 

This piece in various series has been a conversation starter wherever in the globe. It was cast in bronze and aluminum, altering the material and giving it an extra atmosphere of a treasured dictum in the rituals of everyday existence. In various cultural contexts, cows and art are both objects of devotion, therefore the polished surface of the piece is suitable. 

Another striking piece by Gupta is a painting of a cow. She stands in her own exquisite stance, alive and majesty. Gauri, as he calls it. "This Gauri was known to a lady I knew, and she adored her. I also painted with cow excrement and gave the piece the name Gauri. Although cows must be cared for, fed, and loved, there is no religious significance to the cows in my installations and paintings. You may notice various allusions and observe the economic and historical connotations associated with the animal since, to me, the cow is about reality, about life, and about our habits.

 

The Vessel & Poet Kabir 

The milk container is transformed into an artwork and element that represents time. It transports us through the ages to the archetypal paatram, or vessel, which has a history of three to four thousand years in Hindu mythology and is shown as the container used by the gods to transport nectar. The vessel presents Gupta with a number of different avenues for research and interpretation. They launch a story that is both enigmatic and symbolic by doing this. 

The vessel's mention brings to mind a famous exhibition from 2016 named In this vessel lays the philosopher's stone, which was held at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano. The poem "Iss ghat antar baag bagiche" by poet Kabir is immediately recited by Gupta.